


A Wager, or Two

by Toward_The_Horizon



Series: Bets, Wagers and other Extortions [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alpha Park Seonghwa, Alpha Song Mingi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Chatting & Messaging, Group chat, Other Supernatural Creatures - Freeform, Supernatural Creatures, Supernatural Elements, Tags to be added, Vampires, ghoul!jongho, goblin!wooyoung, incubus choi san, kitsune!yeosang, kpop, siren!hongjoong, vampire!yunho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 41,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24645355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toward_The_Horizon/pseuds/Toward_The_Horizon
Summary: Hongjoong is starting his first year at university, trying his best to keep himself and his friends out of trouble- a difficult task, considering one of them is a hobgoblin and the other is...well, just as troublesome. Mingi and Wooyoung start making problems even before the first day begins, when Wooyoung sees a boy on the school bus and won't stop rambling about him. In the end, despite Mingi and Wooyoung's efforts, it's Hongjoong that talks to him first, and for the sake of his peace and quiet, he finds himself trying to befriend a group of creatures who're starting university too, new to campus and hopelessly lost.One of them suggests making a group chat so the boys can get to know each other. Wooyoung takes the opportunity to find out more about the affectionately named Bus Boy, whilst Seonghwa finds himself pulled into a game with San he really should have said no to.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Bets, Wagers and other Extortions [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781821
Comments: 33
Kudos: 237





	1. First Day Nerves

**Author's Note:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**The Three Buccaneers**

**Cap**

@ **QuarterMaster** i told you to text me when you got on the bus 

If i find out you slept through your alarm or something on the first day i’ll skin you alive

Status report

**QuarterMaster**

bruised

**Cap**

What

**QuarterMaster**

Thats my status report

**Cap**

What, you walked into a lampost again or smth?

**QuarterMaster**

No bitch im talking about my ego

And i got the bus 

Kinda wishing id missed it now tho ngl

**Cap**

Youre definitely being dramatic 

Nothing exciting ever happens on buses

**QuarterMaster**

Have you ever saw someone so aggressively attractive you just started giggling

Cause i have

I like

Need a minute

To recover my dignity or smth

**Cap**

You have no dignity wooyoung

**QuarterMaster**

Oh yeah

Well, the point still stands

**Cap**

And...what was the point, exactly?

**QuarterMaster**

That guys like Him should not be on school buses at seven in the morning and im fragile right now so pls dont yell at me

**SharkBait**

by Him im assuming you mean our lord and saviour jesus christ

**Cap**

Its wooyoung we’re talking about

**QuarterMaster**

Ye thats a solid No on the jesus front

Im just thirsting over this guy i saw on the bus

**SharkBait**

Yup sounds more like you

**QuarterMaster**

Shouldnt he have a limousine and a butler or something

It seems like he should

People like that should not take buses

**Sharkbait**

If this turns out to be you talking about your own reflection again i’ll scream

**QuarterMaster**

Man i  _ wish _ i looked like this guy

**Sharkbait**

Well damn

**Cap**

I guess its too much to assume you spoke to him

**QuarterMaster**

I choose life, thnx

I saw his face and LAUGHED 

my brain couldn't process that level of pretty there was no way i was making a cohesive sentence

**Sharkbait**

Are you

Are you saying you were speechless

Because i might choose to not believe you

**Cap**

Ya that seems highly unlikely

**QuarterMaster**

I was surprised too

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
** HwaHwa's Hit List (+jongho) **

**MamaBird**

You guys better be on your way ive been here for so long

I finished my coffee

I have nothing 

**Sin**

g’morning

My bus driver just stopped to let an old lady cross the road

Another old lady

I might be a while

**BigBird**

Wat time is it

**Sin**

Rise and shine time

Wtf are you

**BigBird**

Bible study

Gotta get those early morning prayers in

Where the fuck do you think i am san i was sleeping

**MamaBird**

I told you to set an alarm didnt i

**BigBird**

You did and i did

But then i fell asleep again

**BossBaby**

Youre a disaster of a human being

**BigBird**

*vampire

still not used to the schedule cut me some slack

**MamaBird**

jongho where are you i need company

**Sin**

Wow thnx for forgetting about me 

Its not as if youve got a favourite kid or anything

**BossBaby**

Im just leaving my house now hwa

Whats wrong?

Are the first day nerves setting in?

**BigBird**

Ppft

Nerds

**Sin**

I know right

**BigBird**

Youre already on the bus rn i dont associate with you

Probably wearing a backpack or smth like the prep you are

**Sin**

Wtf did i do????

**BigBird**

Cool kids show up late everybody knows that

**Sin**

Right well 

Some of us wanna make something of ourselves so

Im making this year my bitch and yall cant stop me

**BigBird**

I knew you were a closeted nerd

I need cooler friends

**MamaBird**

San hunny what have we said about making everything into a competition

**Sin**

I dunno you said something about how not everyone could be as great as me and then i stopped listening

**BossBaby**

You seriously need to chill man

**Sin**

Be nice to me and ill bring you lunch, brat

**BossBaby**

Ive always believed in you youre gonna be so much more successful than yunho

**BigBird**

What the hell jongho

**BossBaby**

You couldnt even wake up on time man 

youre the family disappointment

Sans too scary and attractive not to go places

**Sin**

<3

**MamaBird**

Stop fighting amongst yourselves and get your butts over here

I cant tell if the shakes are from the second coffee or the looming anxiety of an entire three years with you nuisances

**BossBaby**

Im just walking through the doors now where are you

**MamaBird**

second floor by the windows

**BossBaby**

Oh i see you

The one in the black jacket whos clearly vibrating in terror

**MamaBird**

Ye thats me

**BigBird**

Yall better pull yourselves together before i show up 

embarassing

**SkaterBoi**

Im also on the bus

If anyone cares

**Sin**

I can see you we’re literally sat right next to each other

Tho tbf i might not have recognised you if you hadnt spoken

Where tf did you even get sunglasses that big

And the hat and masks just overkill

**Yeosang**

I dont want people to know im friends with you

**BigBird**

Oh hey yeosang i forgot you existed for a sec

**SkaterBoi**

Go back to sleep loser

Have nightmares

**BossBaby**

Hey yeosang

**SkaterBoi**

Hello 

**MamaBird**

Good morning sangie

i knew i didnt need to check up on you

**SkaterBoi**

Suck it yunho

Seonghwa trusts me the most youre irrelevant

**BossBaby**

You guys are so mean

**BigBird**

Family disappointment is my aesthetic

None of you are guilting me into becoming a better person

Though i will accept cash deposits if any of you are offering

**MamaBird**

How about you show up on time to your classes and i wont gut you like a fish with a plastic spoon

**BigBird**

also works

**BossBaby**

I always forget how scary seonghwa is when he wants to be

No one would guess 

**SkaterBoi**

Ikr

Dont you just love it when hes angry 

**Sin**

Only when its not at me

and thats not often so im enjoying this say something else mean seonghwa

**BigBird**

please dont its so early

Im on my way


	2. Second Sighting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

Hongjoong collapses into a rickety plastic chair in the cafeteria, a full tray of food in front of him, seizing the opportunity to find an empty table for them and letting out a relieved sigh. The cafeteria’s already bustling, and Wooyoung and Mingi arrive a few minutes later, looking around at the chaos in dismay before seeing Hongjoong in the corner and beaming. They join the lunch queue, and seconds later Hongjoong finds himself at one of the only tables in the room that’s covered in trays. Not for the first time, he thanks whoever the hell is listening that he’d been blessed with a stomach built for food, and not whatever the heck is in those plastic cups the boys at the next table are sipping from.

Wooyoung immediately attacks a slice of pizza with vigour that says he’d definitely agree to the sentiment, but Mingi sets his tray down and pushes it away from him, disinterested.

“How was class?” he asks.

Hongjoong shrugs noncommittally. He’d really prefer Wooyoung to answer, as he usually would, and take over the conversation, but his friend's still chewing, his cheeks puffed out cutely, and begrudgingly he clears his throat and stops slouching.

“Slow,” he says. “Just first day stuff. Telling us where everything is, saying that if any of us break the instruments we’re going to be in deep shit, that kind of thing.”

“Talk to anyone interesting?”

“It was so early I didn’t even meet anyone’s eye, Mingi. Did you really expect me to be making friends already?”

Hongjoong hadn’t been blessed with the ability to talk to complete strangers like they're childhood friends, unlike both of his friends. Mingi and Wooyoung can take circles around him. Hongjoong feels awkward just meeting people's gaze.

“I’m sure you’ll find people to talk to.”

Wooyoung nods in agreement. “My class was just a tour. Pretty sure they split us up so we could all fit in the dance rooms, so I don’t think I’ve even met everyone yet. But people seemed nice.”

Mingi pouts. “I miss my old friends,” he sighs, and then sees both of them look at him with dangerous looks in their eyes. “Not when I’m with you guys,” he corrects quickly, “but neither of you are in my classes, and I’m starting to miss wolves. Maybe I should give Hwanwoong a call and beg him to transfer.”

“I thought you said he was a dance major,” Wooyoung mumbles around another mouthful. “You wouldn’t even be in the same department.”

“Besides,” Hongjoong cuts in, “me and you _do_ have classes together, just not everyday. You just have to be patient.”

Mingi pulls a face, and Hongjoong sticks his tongue out at him in retaliation.

He turns his attention to Wooyoung as Mingi finally takes interest in his food, a more teasing grin appearing on his lips.

“No more sightings of Bus Boy?” he asks, and Wooyoung immediately shakes his head, as if he’d already been thinking about him before Hongjoong had asked.

“No,” he says petulantly, a frown twisting his lips. “Must not be in my department.”

“What’d he look like anyway?”

Wooyoung taps a fingertip on his lips, his expression exaggeratedly thoughtful. “Mmmm,” he hums, “let’s see. How to describe Bus Boy.”

“Just get on with it already,” Mingi mutters, half smiling.

“Ok. Well, he was wearing a hat, but I'm pretty sure his hair is black, and he’s kind of thin but not too skinny, you know? And he had this black leather jacket like he was in a biker gang or-”

Hongjoong laughs. “He was on the bus, Wooyoung.”

“You know what I mean! He had that kind of bad boy vibe going on.”

Hongjoong and Mingi exchange knowing looks.

“I’m starting to think looking for him isn’t such a good idea,” Mingi says.

Hongjoong laughs as Wooyoung hits Mingi over the head, looking around the cafeteria but seeing no one that matches the description. “D’you know what he is?”

Wooyoung scrunches his nose up. “How would I know that? It's not as if I could just ask a stranger that. And I don’t just go around smelling people like Mingi-”

“I do not go around smelling people! It’s just hard to ignore sometimes!” Both of them fake shudders, and Mingi rolls his eyes at them. “This is why I miss my other friends. Wolves would understand what I mean.”

Neither of them are actually offended. It’s true that neither of them are able to fully rap their heads around the wolf thing, the strange politics and abilities Mingi has told them about, but they also know that Mingi doesn’t particularly mind. They’ve known each other long enough to have a tighter bond with each other than the other friends any of them had had, and they know that even if Mingi complains once in a while, he’s not being serious. He misses his other friends, sure, but he’d followed _them_ to this school, and whenever they have free time, he spends it with them. It wouldn’t surprise either of them if the idea to phone his old wolf friends was immediately forgotten after this conversation.

“I’m not saying I approve of your stalking,” Hongjoong starts, and both of them turn to him in confusion, “but just wondering- if you took Mingi with you, would he be able to tell you what Bus Boy is?”

Wooyoung’s face lights up. “Oh yeah! You can be my sniffer dog!”

What’s left of Mingi’s muffin goes flying towards his face, and he chuckles, disappearing for an instant and reappearing with the same impish grin stretching across his face.

“It doesn’t really work like that,” Mingi admits, just as adjusted to Wooyoung’s tricks as Hongjoong is, no longer surprised at whatever sly impossibilities Wooyoung decided to pull. 

“If he’s a wolf, it’s easy. And other things to, like vampires, have pretty obvious scents. Sometimes it’s hard to tell, though.”

“What about us?” Wooyoung asks, and Hongjoong tries to presume a blank expression. He hates when things like this are brought up.

Whether he does a good job of hiding his feelings or whether Mingi just doesn’t notice whatever had played out across his expression, the alpha considers both of them for a moment. “Like something metallic,” he says eventually, talking to Wooyoung. “Not in a bad way!” he adds, when Wooyoung scrunches his nose again. “It’s subtle.” His eyes flicker to the other boy at the table. “Hongjoong’s harder to explain,” he says quietly.

Wooyoung doesn’t press him, and Hongjoong slumps gratefully in his seat as the conversation switches back to first-day-of-school small talk. When the hour is up, and all of their trays are empty, Wooyoung and Hongjoong excuse themselves, leaving Mingi, the only one without a class after lunch, alone at the table.

Hongjoong spends another few hours in classes itching to finally be let loose on a keyboard, or a computer, or _anything_ at all, listening to another teacher drone about grading and curriculum and exams he won’t have to worry about for a good half year, and then spends the next few hours the next morning wishing the exact same thing. Another lunch period comes and goes without anything exceptionally entertaining happening, and then he walks alone out of his final class of his second day.

He spots a shape in the hall as he passes, a dark figure resting against a wall with his back to Hongjoong. It's the dark jacket he's wearing that catches Hongjoong's eye, and then the boy half-turns as if sensing eyes on him, and their eyes meet. The boy looks back at him.

Hongjoong fights back an incredulous laugh. 

* * *

**The Three Buccaneers**

**Cap**

So

  
  


**SharkBait**

so?

**Cap**

Pretty sure i just saw bus boy

**SharkBait**

Two sightings in two days? Wow

Im starting to feel left out 

can it be my turn tomorrow?

**QuarterMaster**

SHUT THE FUCK YOUR MOUTH WHERE

ON THE BUS??

**Cap**

Cool it with the caps lock jeez

And no in the corridor rn while i was walking out of class

I think hes in my department

**QuarterMaster**

OFC he is 

with that face???

He gone go far

**SharkBait**

Hey now we know hes a music major you can actually talk to him wooyoung

**QuarterMaster**

Youre hilarious

Good one

Really

**Cap**

I mean it might not have been him

Just matched the description is all

**QuarterMaster**

Black hair?

Pretty eyes?

Scary beyond all reason?

**Cap**

I 

Think so?

i dont know if id say scary though

**QuarterMaster**

Was he the most attractive person youve ever saw in your life

**Cap**

…..

No comment

**SharkBait**

OH BOI

**QuarterMaster**

BUS BOI RETURNS  
  


**SharkBait**

If hongjoong noticed him im scared for my life

Considering locking myself into my dorm and turning off all the lights care to join?

**QuarterMaster**

No no no mingi you need to see him too

Bless your eyeballs 

**SharkBait**

Do you even hear yourself sometimes thats the creepiest sentence ive ever heard

**QuarterMaster**

This is a virtual conversation

**Cap**

Hey you cant just stalk some random hot guy we dont know

dont be weird

**QuarterMaster**

But mingi doesnt understand and i feel like itd all bring us closer as a group if we all had the same nemesis

**Cap**

I thought you liked him?

**QuarterMaster**

You fool

No one likes someone that hot i hate myself just thinking about him

**SharkBait**

Ok now im curious

**Cap**

Pls dont encourage this

**Mingi**

Whats the big deal? We can just snoop around your music class

See if we see him

**QuarterMaster**

We wont creep

Promise

Well be on our best behaviour

**Cap**

Your best still aint that great

**SharkBait**

Youre uninvited

**Cap**

Good im not taking the fall with you bitches

Go be creepy without me

**SharkBait**

K

**QuarterMaster**

K

**Cap**

I wasnt being serious

Are you guys actually gone

Guys

fuck


	3. Bus Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**The Three Buccaneers**

**Cap**

Ok 

Seen as you both (mainly you, wooyoung) have been insufferable about this all week

I decided to take matters into my own hands

Feel free to praise me as your saviour now

Go on

**SharkBait**

Wtf is going on

**Cap**

A few boys were talking in the corridor again and they seemed lost so i helped them out

**QuarterMaster**

And this was so good of you becaaaaause?

**Cap**

One of them was bus boy

**SharkBait**

You didnt

**QuarterMaster**

WEVE BEEN LOOKING SO HARD WHY DO YOU GET TO SEE HIM MORE

Oh wait what did you do

Is it bad

Oh god its bad isnt it

**Cap**

Have some faith in me you ass

I just talked to them

And might have mentioned one of my friends wanting to talk to them but being too shy

Didnt mention any names

**QuarterMaster**

UUUUUUUUUGH

i dont know if i love you or i hate you right now

**SharkBait**

Lol

Good job joong

But you didnt like

Razzle dazzle them did you 

**Cap**

I am BEGGING you to stop calling it that

And no

Obviously not i just spoke to them

So i could live in peace without you mentioning him for a while ok

And now i guess Mingi will be able to see who you’ve been talking about 

**SharkBait**

Yay i love this plan

**QuarterMaster**

Hongjoong youre sure you didnt mention any names? 

Did they seem freaked? 

What if they think im a creep now?

**Cap**

Well they agreed to make a group chat so

**SharkBait**

OWO

Now we can force wooyoung to talk to his crush AND get to watch him suffer???

A win win

**QuarterMaster**

They what

**Cap**

I said we should all get to know each other cause were all freshmen

And they might get lost again so we could help them out

They seemed pretty eager to make friends 

So 

Youre welcome

**QuarterMaster**

Oh god what happens when they figure out which one of us likes bus boy

What am i going to do

**SharkBait**

No this is good!!

We can see whether the two of you ~vibe~ on the group chat 

Maybe talk you up a little 

**Cap**

At least you could get his name

**QuarterMaster**

I cant believe you actually spoke to him 

Youre a brave man hongjoong maybe ill forgive you for doing such an insane thing

**Cap**

Stop talking about him like hes untouchable or something 

I thought you were the confident cool one of the group

**QuarterMaster**

I am

**Cap**

Then act like it asshole

Oh and uuuh theres one tiny problem

**SharkBait**

What

**Cap**

I dont know any of their names and we wont be able to see their faces

**SharkBait**

So?

**QuarterMaster**

So we wont know which one’s bus boy

**Cap**

Yeah

**SharkBait**

Why didnt you ask for his name!!!

**Cap**

One of them asked me mine and then found my facebook! 

I know one of their names! He was the one who suggested the chat he seemed friendly

But hes not bus boy

**QuarterMaster**

Well whats his name? 

We can at least rule one of them out

**Cap**

Yunho

**SharkBait**

Ok one down

now how many of them are there?

**Cap**

….At least three

**QuarterMaster**

Oh god

**Cap**

Shut up

Just treat it like a game or something 

I spoke to people for this

Actual people

Be grateful

**QuarterMaster**

Ok ok i guess he wont even know who i am so 

And he wont know which one of us you were talking about

I can do this

**SharkBait**

Hell yeah you can

Oh shit i just got a text

* * *

**_Yunho_ ** **created a new chat**

 **_Yunho_ ** **added** **_Hongjoong_ ** **and six others**

 **_Yunho_ ** **set the chat name to** **_NEW FRIENDS HI!!_ **

**Yunho**

Hi!

I hope its ok, i just added your friends too so we could all be in one chat

**Hongjoong**

Oh yeah thats cool

**Mingi**

Uh how did he know our names

**Hongjoong**

Youre the only friends i have on facebook mingi i reject everyone else

I only have an account because wooyoung forced me into it

**Mingi**

Oh 

Ye that makes sense

Wooyoung get in here and say hello

**Wooyoung**

Hello i'm wooyoung

**Yeosang**

Wait

Wooyoung? Jung wooyoung?

**Wooyoung**

Uuuugh yeah?

**Yeosang**

No fucking way send a picture of your face right now

**Wooyoung**

**Hongjoong**

Wooyoung wtf you dont even know who youre talking to you dumbass

**Yeosang**

NO FUCKING WAY IT IS YOU

**Mingi**

Well that cant be good

**Wooyoung**

Do i know you? Wait

yeosang?

**Yeosang**

yeosang!

**Wooyoung**

WHAT THE FUCK I DIDNT KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO THIS SCHOOL

**Yeosang**

Yeah san convinced me! I didnt know you went here either!

**San**

You two know each other?

**Wooyoung**

We went to the same elementary 

**Yeosang**

And high school 

before i transferred 

**Wooyoung**

We’re basically soulmates

**Yunho**

Didnt know you had friends, yeosang

**Hongjoong**

Oh wait i think i remember you talking about a Yeosang??

**Seonghwa**

Was wooyoung the one you mentioned setting his trousers on fire that one time

**Yeosang**

Yeah :’)

**Wooyoung**

Good times :’)

**Hongjoong**

Well

Youll be glad to hear he hasnt changed

**Mingi**

Ye hes still a dumbass

**Wooyoung**

screw you assholes i have better friends now

**San**

Plural?

I dont remember agreeing to be friends with you

**Wooyoung**

Dont worry you’ll like me 

**Yunho**

well i like everyone so

Plus youve got to be funner than seonghwa anyway

**Seonghwa**

What did i do to deserve you

**Yunho**

Whatre you doing right now

**Seonghwa**

Reading?

**Yunho**

See? 

Nerd

**San**

Ignore him 

Im san and im better in every possible way so 

Whats up

**Hongjoong**

Wtf

**Mingi**

Are you all usually this aggressive

**San**

He deserves worse trust me

**Hongjoong**

He seemed nice when we were talking earlier

**San**

Its all lies

**Jongho**

Oh my god im really sorry about them 

Theyre just kidding please dont think badly of them 

**Hongjoong**

Who’re you??

**Jongho**

Oh right

Im jongho

i dont think we’ve met

**Seonghwa**

Jonghos the youngest 

And a sweetheart

**Yeosang**

And seonghwas favourite even tho he denies it

**Seonghwa**

I dont have a favourite

**Yunho**

Yall hear something

**Mingi**

I dont even think hongjoong has a favourite

**Hongjoong**

The choices arent great

**Wooyoung**

See

This is what we have to put up with

**Hongjoong**

Ummm theres more of you than i expected

I only caught yunhos name so

This is hella confusing 

I dont think yeosang was there

**Yeosang**

Nah i dont know you bro

**Hongjoong**

So theres two more people i met but i dont know your names

And whoever the rest of you are

**Mingi**

Well seen as wooyoung already sent a pic should we all just get to know each other that way?

Then we can put names to faces

Ill go first

Im mingi and i hate bugs and im in the music department 

howdy

**Yeosang**

Fool

Never just announce your weaknesses like that

**San**

Afraid of bugs huh

noted

**Jongho**

What have you done

**Mingi**

Pls dont use that against me i’ll cry i’ll cry so much

**Wooyoung**

I’d volunteer to go next but I already sent a photo so…

Any volunteers?

**San**

You didnt say what your major was

Or your deepest fear

**Wooyoung**

I’m a dance major

And nice try but im fearless so

**Yunho**

Oh hey me and san are dance majors too!

**Wooyoung**

Nice

**Yunho**

Ok i want to go now

Im yunho and i like hugs and seeing San suffer

**Yeosang**

Dont we all

**Hongjoong**

Ye cool i know you

Youre the pale one thats way too tall

**Yunho**

hehe

**Mingi**

Nice

I dont have any tall friends we should hang out so i dont feel like a giant

**Wooyoung**

Rude

**Yunho**

I’d love to hang out! :)

I wasnt kidding about the hug thing tho i should warn you

**Yeosang**

Imagine a really _really_ excitable koala

But huge

**San**

And cold >:(

Like an ice pack

**Hongjoong**

Vampire??

**Yunho**

Uh yeah

I wasnt gonna say some people are still kinda creeped by the blood thing

**Wooyoung**

Fearless, remember?

And dont worry about the clingy thing i’m clingy too theyre used to it 

**Mingi**

Ye i dont mind anymore

**Hongjoong**

I do

I still mind

I mind a lot

**Yunho**

:(

**Seonghwa**

Yunho dont be sad im sure theyll warm up to you

**San**

vampire puns +1

**Yeosang**

Why dont you go next hwa

**Seonghwa**

Oh 

Um ok

My names seonghwa, im a literature major

Um

Thats it

I guess I already met Hongjoong

* * *

  
** The Three Buccaneers **

**Cap**

Voila

Just like that, Bus Boy has a name

What did i tell you this was a piece of cake

**SharkBait**

I thought you said he was a music major

**Cap**

Must have just been loitering or waiting for a friend or something 

**QuarterMaster**

UMMMMMM 

Hongjoong?

**Cap**

What

**QuarterMaster**

Thats not bus boy

**Cap**

What are you talking about he matches the description you gave me

**QuarterMaster**

Ive never saw that dude before in my life

**SharkBait**

…..you mean…..

The hottest guy hongjoong has ever seen in his life

Isnt bus boy

You saw different people

And hongjoong just thought this guy was hot enough to be bus boy

**Cap**

What no he just fit the description of bus boy

Black hair, leather jacket, looks kinda intimidating

**QuarterMaster**

Oh my god hongjoong

**Cap**

What 

its not a big deal

**QuarterMaster**

OH MY FUCKING GOD HONGJOONG  
Oh this is amazing this is the best thing that could possibly happen you exposed yourself

**Cap**

I did not

I just thought he was the guy you were talking about

**QuarterMaster**

This could not get any better

**SharkBait**

Didnt you want bus boys name

**QuarterMaster**

Oh yeah

This isnt over joong

**Cap**

whatever

  
  


* * *

**NEW FRIENDS HI!!**

**Wooyoung**

****

For those of you that havent met him, this is Hongjoong ^^

Hes a music major

He makes really good songs

**Hongjoong**

Wtf

I thought we were doing this thing on a voluntary basis

**Wooyoung**

We are i volunteered you

**Jongho**

Hi hongjoong im sorry your friend’s being mean to you

**Hongjoong**

Ive just decided 

youre my favorite kid too 

**San**

Ok my go i want to join in

San’s the name

Dance major

I like money and myself

**Mingi**

A confident king

**Yeosang**

We stan

* * *

**The Three Buccaneers**

**Cap**

Dont fucking tell me

**QuarterMaster**

Bus boi

**SharkBait**

Why do you always pick these people

* * *

  
  


** NEW FRIENDS HI!! **

**Jongho**

I guess that just leaves me then huh

Ok

Im a business major

**Wooyoung**

Wheres the picture pretty boy

**Jongho**

Id rather not

**Mingi**

Dang i bet hes the hottest

**San**

Did you even see my picture

**Seonghwa**

San i love you but youre seriously an unbearable little bastard sometimes

**San**

I try

**Wooyoung**

**@Hongjoong** did you read that

**Mingi**

Maybe you two can get together and talk about how much you hate your kids

**Yeosang**

Omg does this mean we have two parents now

**Yunho**

Ive always wanted another dad

Our ones mean to me

**Wooyoung**

Hongjoongs meaner

**Mingi**

He right

**Jongho**

Im sure he isnt that bad

**Hongjoong**

Youre the only one i care about, little faceless boy

**Jongho**

I didnt talk to you today? 

Why do you assume i’m little?

**Hongjoong**

dunno just a feeling

**Yunho**

I guess youre not wrong 

Depends on what kind of small you mean tho

**Wooyoung**

Excuse me

**San**

Phrasing

He just means hes buff

I swear all my friends are morons

**Mingi**

Oh 

Haha

Ye 

thats what i thought you meant

**Jongho**

Please can we move on

**Wooyoung**

Yeah sure is this you

**Yeosang**

AHAHAHAHAHA

**Yunho**

WHAT THE FUCK

**San**

Jesus christ what are you the mafia or something

**Jongho**

Well i guess denying it would be pointless after those reactions

Thanks guys

Why did it have to be that photo i swear that was a joke im not a fuck boy

**Hongjoong**

Wooyoung 

what have we said about stalking peoples social medias

**Wooyoung**

That im too good at it and its a little creepy?

**Hongjoong**

Yes.

That.

Stop.

**Wooyoung**

My b

**Mingi**

Hey youd look adorable if you didnt also look like you could snap me in half like a toothpick

**Jongho**

Um 

Thank you?

**Mingi**

Youre welcome bro

**Wooyoung**

Wow i would not have guessed youd be a gym rat by your messages

**Jongho**

Are you still going through my photos?

What the heck?

**Wooyoung**

I mean come on he says heck

**Yunho**

He has got a point

**Jongho**

What the hell man

**Seonghwa**

Its hell now?

Language

**San**

am i hallucinating or did seonghwa just make a joke 

**Yeosang**

he tried

**Seonghwa**

Come on guys

Play nice

There are new people here youre going to scare away

**San**

One of them already said he was fearless so im sure we good

**Hongjoong**

He once burst my eardrum because he thought there was a cockroach in our kitchen

**Wooyoung**

Those things are terrifying hongjoong

**Hongjoong**

It was a grape

I had to go to the doctors because you screamed at a grape

**San**

Wow

Fearless

Im seeing it now

**Yeosang**

Hey

He didnt blink an eye at the fire climbing up his legs 

**Wooyoung**

Yeah tell them

**Yunho**

That doesnt sound like bravery to me

**Mingi**

Adrenaline does strange things to him 

**Hongjoong**

Plus he has like zero impulse control 

Guess thats a goblin thing tho

**Wooyoung**

Ok Im a badass

I know

We get it

**Jongho**

Am i allowed to ask what happened with the pants and the fire

**Wooyoung**

No

**Yeosang**

No

**Mingi**

Wait im confused who was the third guy

**Yunho**

Huh

**Mingi**

Hongjoong said he talked to three of you

One of them was yunho, then seonghwa, but who was the third guy?

**San**

Me

* * *

**The Three Buccaneers**

**SharkBait**

Confirmed: hongjoong thinks seonghwa’s hotter than bus boy

**Cap**

What? Where did that come from i didnt say that

**SharkBait**

San was right in front of you the whole time but you still thought Bus Boy was seonghwa

Thats interesting joong

Real interesting

**QuarterMaster**

Mingi you evil genius you

My day just keeps getting better and better

**Cap**

You realise how easy it would be to expose you rn right

I have so much more blackmail material on the both of you than you could ever get on me

**QuarterMaster**

Oh come ooooooooon joong

Just admit you were checking the guy out

We’re all friends here

**Cap**

It isnt like that ok

I just thought he was someone who would fit the description you gave

To you

**SharkBait**

Joong youve got to know how unconvincing that is

**Cap**

I dont like him

**QuarterMaster**

Sure hongjoong

We’ll see


	4. Wagers: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**HwaHwa's Hit List (+jongho)**

**BigBird**

They seem nice :)

**Sin**

I guess that could have gone worse

**SkaterBoi**

I cant believe wooyoung is one of them thats crazy

**BossBaby**

Im glad you get to see your friend again sang :)

But remind me again why new people are suddenly talking to us??

Not that i dont like them 

Just

That was kind of random, wasn’t it?

**MamaBird**

Hongjoong came to say hello this morning

He said one of his friends wanted to talk to us but was really shy 

So yunho said we could all get to know each other so he wouldnt feel in the spotlight

**BigBird**

And hongjoong said that sounded good because were all freshers so we could help each other out

**BossBaby**

But which one is the shy one?

None of them seem very shy

**MamaBird**

Maybe theyre only shy face-to-face

**BigBird**

Well wooyoung didnt seem to know yeosang was in this group so it cant have been him

Right?

he would have saw you with us, right

**SkaterBoi**

Makes sense i guess

I dont remember him being shy

Plus hed never be shy around me 

**BossBaby**

So that leaves hongjoong and mingi?

**MamaBird**

Hongjoong already spoke to us though

So its probably mingi whos shy

**Sin**

….

Unless

**BigBird**

Oh yeah

**BossBaby**

Am i missing something?

**SkaterBoi**

Oh

Haha!

Ok now i see

**BigBird**

Should we tell him or just let him try and work it out himself

**Sin**

Are you kidding? Hes so oblivious he’d never work it out on his own

**MamaBird**

Why do i get the feeling youre talking about me

**SkaterBoi**

Hwa did you not wonder why he approached us so randomly?

Why he didn’t mention his friends name?

**MamaBird**

Because it might embarrass his friend?

**Sin**

You're too nice seong

**BossBaby**

Oh i think i understand

You think hongjoong was using the whole **‘** _i have this friend’_ excuse to make us think it was someone else

When really he just wanted an excuse to talk to seonghwa

**MamaBird**

What? Why me?

**BigBird**

Consult the nearest mirror, hwa

**Sin**

He was talking to you like the entire time

I dont think he even remembered me being there

**MamaBird**

Dont be silly

He was just being polite

**BossBaby**

Oh

Oh no

ok i see it now

**Sin**

Dyou know how many times we’ve heard you say that??

Theyre never just being polite hwa

Youre just too innocent and dense to realise it

**MamaBird**

That isnt true

**Sin**

No?

**MamaBird**

No

**SkaterBoi**

No youre not dense, or no youre not innocent?

**MamaBird**

I dont know

Both!

**BossBaby**

I think Hongjoong seems cool

he makes music

And he was nice enough to introduce himself this morning, right?

**BigBird**

Yeah he seemed friendly enough

**Sin**

And exactly seonghwas type

Just saying

**MamaBird**

I dont have a type

**Sin**

Sure

Everyone youve ever dated has been artsy hipsters purely by coincidence

**SkaterBoi**

(・・；)

**BossBaby**

Maybe we should stop joking around

I think youre making seonghwa uncomfortable

**MamaBird**

No hes not hes just being weird

hongjoong doesnt like me

Theres nothing there

**Sin**

Seong you wouldnt be able to tell someone was flirting with you if they help up a sign that said IM FLIRTING WITH YOU 

**BigBird**

San come on 

**MamaBird**

Stop treating me like im a kid thats not true

**Sin**

and youre not oblivious and too sweet for your own good

Sounds legit

Why dont we just kill two birds with one stone and settle this the easy way

**MamaBird**

What kind of weird twisted plan are you thinking up san

I know you too well to think this is a good idea

**Sin**

Im just saying 

We all think he likes you

You dont think he likes you

You also dont like that we think youre innocent and dense 

So 

**MamaBird**

So what

**BigBird**

Yeah im not following 

**Sin**

You can show how not-innocent you are by flirting your ass off

And we can see whether he really likes you 

Doesnt that sound fun?

**MamaBird**

What if he flirts back

**Sin**

Then congratulations?

You can thank me at the wedding

**MamaBird**

Again

What makes you think i like him

**SkaterBoi**

….he does kind of have a point, seong

**BossBaby**

Why dont you like him?

**MamaBird**

Im not saying i _dont_ like him

I just mean- wait

We dont know for sure its me they were talking about it could still be someone else

**BigBird**

Havent we already decided it must have been hongjoong?? And he was definitely talking to you in particular

**MamaBird**

But he only spoke to the three of us

Which means he might not have known about yeosang or jongho

Which means wooyoung might not have known yeosang was friends with us

Which meaaaans….?

**BossBaby**

That wooyoung might be shy around us/ he might want to be friends without knowing yeosang is our friend

he might be shy around the three of us and still surprised to see yeosang in a chat with us all 

The friend could still have been wooyoung

**MamaBird**

Thank you jongho

**BigBird**

Huh

**SkaterBoi**

I guess that makes sense

Though really, wooyoung isnt the shy type

**Sin**

Well

You think its wooyoung

I think its hongjoong

Whatever can we do know?

**BossBaby**

forget about it like normal people?

Theyll tell us if they want to 

plus they might really just be talking about being friends

**Sin**

Youre hilarious

**MamaBird**

No ok

I want to play

**BigBird**

Seonghwa come on dont encourage him

**SkaterBoi**

Dont you usually know better than this seong

he’ll be insufferable if hes right

And even *more* insufferable if hes wrong

**MamaBird**

But i want to find out 

And now i really want to prove him wrong so he’ll stop talking down to me

**BossBird**

I dont think this is a very good idea guys

**MamaBird**

Whats the harm?

The worst case scenario is hongjoong doesnt like me and i get rejected

Which is fine, because i dont really like him

**SkaterBoi**

Whats the best case scenario?

**MamaBird**

Im right and san has to admit he doesnt know everything

And we get to find out if one of them actually does like one of us

**Sin**

Ye that wont happen

**BigBird**

So youre going to try and make this poor guy fall for you?

**BossBaby**

I dont like this idea

What if it works and _you_ have to reject _him_?

Isnt this kind of mean?

**MamaBird**

Its just flirting jongho

Im sure he’ll be fine

And you guys are always saying i should ‘get out there’ more

**BossBaby**

I never said that

**MamaBird**

I know 

Thats why youre my favourite

**SkaterBoi**

We got him boys

He finally admitted it 

**BossBaby**

I cant help being the best what can i say

**BigBird**

Youve been around me and san too long

Go back to being cute and nice and awkward

**SkaterBoi**

Hey

Awkwards my brand find something else

**MamaBird**

Lets get back on topic

San thinks i can't handle this 

I know i can 

Prepare to eat your words and be amazed

Also youre my least favourite

**Sin**

There you go lying to yourself again

You’re on 

Get his number and i might be convinced to take back everything i said about you

**MamaBird**

Shut up this isnt about getting his number

Im gonna prove he doesnt like me and that its wooyoung that likes someone

Dont know who it is but i’m gonna find out before you all

**BigBird**

This is what happens when we actually listen to san 

**SkaterBoi**

Well if this is a competition i want stakes

Not to like put any effort in im just saying i think sans right and want a reward if he wins

**BossBaby**

I thought we were done with stupid bets

**Sin**

Do you even hear yourself sometimes

Im never done with my bullshit you should know that by now

If seonghwa charms the pants of poor old hongjoong and gets him to admit he just wanted seonghwas number, i win

If seonghwa somehow proves it was wooyoung who wanted to talk to one of us AND FINDS WHO, he wins

**MamaBird**

Agreed

**BigBird**

Well i think sans right too

Unfortunately

**BossBaby**

I’ll stick with seonghwa

**Sin**

of course you will mamas boy

its me, yunho and yeosang against you and seonghwa

What’s the bet??

**SkaterBoi**

If its not money im not interested

**MamaBird**

Sure 

Whatever

**BigBird**

How bout the losers pay for our meals at a real expensive restaurant

I want lobster and fancy suits and to not have to pay for either of them

**MamaBird**

if you really wanted to do that you could have just told me

we could do that now without needing this stupid bet

**BigBird**

but its not as satisfying if its not against your will

**Sin**

Like a giant friend date

Fancy restaurant, good food, seonghwa’s despair

Sounds good to me

**BossBaby**

I guess i can agree if foods involved

**MamaBird**

Sounds like we have ourselves a plan then

**Sin**

Sounds like it

Prepare to eat your words old man

**MamaBird**

Better start saving, san

You’ll need every last penny you can scrape together

* * *

  
  


**_Seonghwa_ ** _created a new chat_

**_Seonghwa_ ** _added **Jonho** to the chat_

**Seonghwa**

Ok whats the game plan

Whatve you got 

**Jongho**

What

**Seonghwa**

We need a strategy 

**Jongho**

Youre kidding right

Youre asking me??

**Seonghwa**

Yea we’re the only smart ones in the group 

Cant ask anyone else

And i dont want to know whatever sinful shit san would say 

**Jongho**

thats probably smart

But come on youve got to know i cant help you im useless

**Seonghwa**

youre not useless!

People like you 

Like as a friend

Youre cooler than me so

Whatve you got

**Jongho**

….be yourself??

**Seonghwa**

Now isnt the time for jokes jongho

**Jongho**

I wasnt joking?

**Seonghwa**

What should i wear? Should i do my hair differently?

How do you feel about lowering my voice half an octave?

**Jongho**

To 

To talk to him?

**Seonghwa**

Too much?

**Jongho**

YES TOO MUCH

Dont do any of that 

Especially the voice thing what the hell is wrong with you

**Seonghwa**

I dont know if youve noticed jongho but i tend to overthink things

**Jongho**

You can imagine i’m surprised if that makes you feel better

**Seonghwa**

Thanks it kind of does

**Jongho**

How about we go together at lunch and ask to sit at their table

We’re all in a group chat now, right?

They said they wanted friends

**Seonghwa**

And what, eat with them?

**Jongho**

No, perform a perfectly choreographed dance number on the cafeteria tables to impress them

YES eat with them

Its not a big deal 

Lets start slow

**Seonghwa**

Yeah 

Yeah youre probably right 

**Jongho**

Good

So dont do any of that crazy stuff you mentioned earlier

Friends, i can handle

Leave the first bit to me hwa

**Seonghwa**

What would i do without you 

**Jongho**

Youd probably be in prison for killing san or smth i dont know

**Seonghwa**

I could still be pushed

**Jongho**

I know seonghwa

I know


	5. Infiltration

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have asked first?” Seonghwa asks, not for the first time, as Jongho walks him from his class.

It’s the start of lunch period, and Seonghwa has obviously worked himself up since the night before when they’d agreed to their first step of their plan, and is now wringing his hands, a frown etching a line between his brows and pulling at his lips. Jongho, beside him, had been waiting outside the older boy’s classroom and so had time to prepare himself for how nervous Seonghwa would be, but still has to actively force himself to calm down again when Seonghwa’s anxiety starts to seep into him, too.

“Texting might have seemed too formal,” he says, pulling Seonghwa through the corridor. “Approaching as if we’ve just spotted them will be more natural.”

Seonghwa nods along a little too sharply and grips his phone tighter. It’s been open on the group chat they’d all created yesterday for a while now, so he can make sure he knows they’ve got the right people and don’t end up bothering some poor strangers, even though Seonghwa very rarely forgets a face, and one glance would have been enough.

Jongho coaxes him into easy conversation about one of the books Seonghwa's class has been assigned, almost succeeding in making him forget about the ridiculous wager San had roped him into. Well, that’s unfair. He’d agreed to it himself, it was his fault as much as it was San’s.

The cafeteria looms before them, an open area full of white plastic chairs and white wooden tables, already full of groups badgering and laughing with each other, boisterous and loud. Jongho, knowing Seonghwa hates crowds, tightens his grip on the older boy’s sleeve as he searches for familiar faces.

“There,” Seonghwa says, shocking him with his quickness, pointing to one of the corners- thank god, they’re at least away from most of the crowds. 

Jongho nods as if it’s no big deal and starts towards their table. He feels Seonghwa lag for a moment, and turns to see the older boy eyeing the crowd apprehensively.

“How about,” he starts, relenting and stopping for a second as people walk past them, “you go get lunch, and I say hello first. I can tell them you’re with me. That way you can miss most of the introductions.”

Seonghwa lets out a grateful sigh and, as if he doesn’t realise what he’s doing, cups Jongho’s face in his hands, only for a moment, before he lets go. Jongho, now well aware of Seonghwa’s affectionate tendencies, laughs a little and nudges the older boy towards the end of the lunch line.

“Want anything?” Seonghwa asks over his shoulder. Even though the answer is almost always no, he never forgets to ask.

“I’m good.”

The other boy nods and approaches the queue, and Jongho turns back to the cafeteria and finds the table with the three boys again. He approaches quietly, grateful for the fact that none of them notice him walking closer, so he can study them without being spotted.

Three boys in total, like they’d expected. Mingi is the most noticeable, in the chair facing Jongho, the tallest of the three by a long shot and laughing loudly. He looks just like his photo, the tips of his hair a deep blue-green, wire frame glasses perched on his nose. The boy next to him must be Wooyoung, hardest to recognise from his photo, because of how little of his face he’d been showing. He’s small, but not as small as Jongho had expected, a mixture of cute and cool that Jongho is instantly envious of. He’s also laughing so hard his entire face is red, half out of his chair, so it’s impossible to bear any hard feelings towards him. That means the boy with his back to Jongho and the rest of the cafeteria must be Hongjoong, only recognisable from the shining silver of his short hair.

Jongho slides up to the table- Mingi notices him first.

“Hello,” Jongho says, gratified to see Mingi and Wooyoung already smiling up at him, as Hongjoong startles a little and turns in his chair to see who’s speaking. “I’m Jongho, from the group chat?”

“Oh yeah,” Wooyoung says, his voice loud and cheerful in a way that makes it clear it’s always loud and cheerful. “Gym rat!”

Hongjoong shoves him, and Jongho laughs begrudgingly. 

“That’s me. D’you mind if I sit? Seonghwa’s getting food, but we wanted to come say hi, so-” he points to where Seonghwa has merged with the others waiting for trays across the cafeteria, and all three boys turn to look over at him. Seonghwa, watching from the queue, gives a small wave that Mingi returns with far more strength and enthusiasm.

Wooyoung is already pulling out a chair, and Jongho accepts it with a quiet smile and thanks that Wooyoung waves away.

“How’re you finding your classes?” he asks, addressing no one in particular, trying to figure out the group dynamics.

It’s Wooyoung in the seat next to him that answers, unsurprisingly. “Well in Dance we’re starting with the basics, which is annoying, but the teachers seem cool, and people in class are nice.”

“Music’s the same,” Mingi nods, seamlessly picking up where Wooyoung leaves off. The must have known each other for a while, Jongho thinks, to be so in tune with each other. “All basics, but they’ve said next week we can start actually playing around.” He gives a huge, satisfied grin, all gums and teeth, surprising Jongho with how soft the gesture looks. 

“What about you?” Wooyoung asks, before Jongho can say anything else.

“Oh. I guess everybody’s the same. Business has just been a lot of worksheets and taking notes.”

They nod along, and Jongho risks a glance at Hongjoong. The silver-haired boy hasn’t spoken yet, but Jongho can’t tell what kind of quiet he is: the unfriendly, disinterested kind, the comfortable kind, or the awkward kind. As he’s wondering, the other boy clears his throat and meets his gaze.

“What about the others?” he asks. “Are they going to be eating with us too?”

There’s no sign of any of them when Jongho looks around the room, so he just shrugs. 

“Maybe. We all eat together. If that’s too many people, obviously, I can move when they get here-”

“No, no!” Wooyoung cries. “That’s ok. The more the merrier, right Mingi?”

“Sure,” Mingi smiles, buffering for a second, glancing between his friends. Jongho hopes he was just startled by the question and isn’t trying to cover up the fact that he’d wanted them all at a different table. “That’s why we all made the group chat, right?”

Jongho nods, but as he opens his mouth to say something he spies a familiar face across the room, just as he emerges from a corridor, and Yunho starts bounding toward them.

“Oh- talk of the devil.”

The others turn to see Yunho approaching and all make different noises of acknowledgement, some sounding more excited than others.

Yunho beams down at them, his blond hair flopping into his eye. He bats it away absently as he takes the empty chair on Jongho’s other side.

“Hey!”

Seonghwa reappears, standing behind Yunho’s chair with a tray of food, and nudges the younger boy with his elbow.

“Yunho,” he scolds quietly, “you should ask to sit.”

Yunho laughs, mock wincing like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing, and Wooyoung laughs too. 

“It’s fine,” Hongjoong says, surprising Jongho with his initiative. It seems Hongjoong is the equivalent to a leader in their little group, because this is the first time he speaks up over the others, and Wooyoung and Mingi both seem to settle down at the sound of his voice.

Seonghwa smiles tightly and places his tray in front of Yunho, knowing the boy won’t steal any of his food, and goes to retrieve a spare chair from another table, slotting it between Yunho and Mingi when he returns. 

“I hope we’re not intruding,” he says, and Jongho doesn’t miss the way Wooyoung and Mingi glance curiously at him at the formality.

Mingi peers closer to Seonghwa’s face, squinting. He catches something in the air, and a sudden flicker of crimson sparks in his eyes. “Oh- you’re an alpha?”

Seonghwa turns more of his attention on the tall boy, though Jongho notes that there’s no trace of surprise in his expression. He must have already noticed Mingi was a wolf, too.

He nods, and Mingi lets out a happy kind of groan. 

“Thank god,” he says, leaving Seonghwa somewhat nonplussed at the change in tone. “I was just saying how I needed some wolf friends. All of my old ones go to different schools.”

Seonghwa relaxes, sliding his tray back in front of him. “Mine too,” he admits. “Though really there weren’t a great many I was sad to part ways with.”

Wooyoung and Mingi exchange another look, and Yunho giggles, catching them.

“If you’re wondering why he talks like that, it’s just his upbringing.” He rubs his index finger across his thumb, and Seonghwa slaps his arm.

“Stop that.”

Wooyoung lets out a long ‘oooh’ of understanding. “That makes sense,” he nods, gesturing vaguely to the air around Seonghwa, who’s starting to look uncomfortable again.

Jongho leans forward ever so slightly in his chair. “D’you know where the others are?” he asks Yunho, just to bring the attention away from Seonghwa. 

The vampire shrugs. “San said something about getting your lunch. I think Yeosang went with him.”

Jongho winces. He hadn’t thought about the _eating_ part of eating together. Suddenly this doesn’t feel like such a good idea.

But then Yunho brings out a plastic flask from his bag and unapologetically gulps a few mouthfuls, the deep red that fills the plastic straw very, very obvious. 

None of them look away, though Jongho doesn’t think he imagines the way Hongjoong’s spine straightens, like he’s trying to make himself look bigger.

Seonghwa picks at the cafeteria food he’d usually forgo with an interested expression. Mingi looks down at where he’s poking his food with a fork and smiles, like he finds the gesture endearing and not snobbish, and Jongho feels a grateful relief course through him. Someone clears their throat behind him and Wooyoung leaps out of his seat.

“Sangie!”

Yeosang yelps as he’s swept into a hug, Wooyung pulling him almost off his feet in his eagerness, but then laughs brightly, a loud bubble of amusement in place of his usual quiet giggle- a sound that, as always, makes all of his friends laugh along, too.

Discreetly, San slides behind Jongho’s chair amongst the commotion and passes him a flask. Jongho claps him on the back as a silent thank you, and San in return squeezes one of his shoulders before stepping away.

“I hope we weren’t missing out on all the fun,” he says, as all eyes turn to him. He drags a chair smoothly from the closest table, barely looking at it, and lounges back, resting one ankle on the opposite knee.

Hongjoong, closest to San, looks more apprehensive now, though Jongho can’t tell whether it’s purely because of their growing numbers or whether it’s a more direct reaction to the newest addition. San tends to polarise people that way. He can just as easily make people uncomfortable as he can make them feel at ease.

“It’s San, isn’t it?” Hongjoong asks, and though San grins and nods, Jongho can’t help but think it might not be such a good thing that Hongjoong has singled him out.

“And this is Yeosang!” Wooyoung adds as he sits and pulls Yeosang onto his lap, and Yeosang surprises Jongho by not complaining. 

“What’s up?” Yeosang asks, more of a greeting than a question, and a few of them nod at him and return his smile.

Jongho takes a sip of the thing San had handed him and shivers as it hits his tongue. He hadn’t realised how hungry he’d been. Yeosang catches the movement out of the corner of his eye, and turns to smile at Jongho as the younger boy drinks.

Jongho sets his flask down, trying to smile, too.

“Are you not eating?” he asks, and he feels the new people at the table stiffen at the question, until they realise Jongho is looking at Yeosang, and relax. Such questions are only for close friends- Jongho briefly imagines someone at the table asking him what he’s drinking, and grimaces. It would be close to outwardly asking what species someone belonged to. Unless you’re certain, you just don’t ask.

Jongho’s close enough to everyone at the table- bar the new additions- to ask questions like this one, though, and Yeosang sniffs noncommittal and shrugs. 

“Not hungry,” he says quietly.

As Yeosang turns away, Jongho notices the exact moment everyone else at the table realises San isn’t eating. He shouldn’t have asked Yeosang. Now, because he hadn’t bothered asking San, he’s brought attention to the fact that there’s no tray in front of the dark haired boy, not even a flask. If San notices the attention, or the tension in the air as the three strangers run through a list in their minds of what it could mean, he doesn’t show it. He rolls his neck, arms stretching above his head, probably for show. Yunho is comfortable in crowds, Seonghwa distracted, but boy does San like to perform.

Jongho sees Yeosang roll his eyes and stifles a laugh.

It’s rude to ask, and Jongho of all people would never, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t curious. He knows Wooyoung’s a goblin, from the chat as well as the few times Yeosang had brought him up in conversation. Mingi must be a wolf, if he’d noticed what Seonghwa was so quickly. Seonghwa had very firmly taught them all out of the mindset of guessing a wolf’s alignment- the idea that someone would guess based solely on appearance or mannerisms was one of the few topics Seonghwa would really argue about- but the red of Mingi's eyes as they'd caught Seonghwa's scent places him very firmly in the alpha category.

Which leaves only Hongjoong. He’s eating, like both of his friends, a tame selection of human food on a tray in front of him. So not a vampire or a ghoul or a ghost. Probably not like San either. His kind can eat human food too, but don’t seem to feel the need.

There’s no other clues in his appearance- his eyes are dark, his nails short and clipped, with one of his fingertips painted silver to match his hair.

Jongho silently scolds himself and turns his eyes away. No doubt everyone else at the table- maybe excepting Seonghwa- is trying to puzzle each other out, too, because curiosity is natural and hard to trample in these kinds of situations, but the idea of one of them studying his every move to find out what he is is an unwelcome thought. He shouldn’t extend them the same unpleasantness; if they really are trying to guess, the others at the table at least do it subtly.

He takes another sip from his flask, and lets someone else lead the conversation.


	6. Wagers: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**Hwahwa’s Hit List (+jongho)**

**Sin**

So 

Lets hear it then whatre our guesses

**SkaterBoi**

I think I need more context 

Guesses about??

**BossBaby**

If youre asking what i think youre asking seonghwas not gonna be happy

  
  


**MamaBird**

Im disowning you

**BigBird**

Didnt you already say mingi was a wolf

Howd you know that

**MamaBird**

His scent

And then he told me

himself

**Sin**

Wolves are so weird

His scent? The fuck

**MamaBird**

Lets not do this, yeah?

No guessing

They can tell us if they want to 

**SkaterBoi**

Plus we know about everyone but hongjoong

Which feels like ganging up on him somehow

**Sin**

Im guessing goblin

**MamaBird**

You have been disowned

Someone else can deal with you now

Begone

**Sin**

Oh come on i bet theyre doing the exact same thing right now

We’re not all as dull as you and lil baby jongho

**BossBaby**

I could crush you like a grape

**BigBird**

Pls do

**SkaterBoi**

I would literally pay you

**Sin**

Ok ok

I get it, its pick on the cool hot one time

**BigBird**

We’re not picking on Seonghwa

**Sin**

But i GUARANTEE theyre trying to figure out all of us right now 

* * *

  
  


**The Three Buccaneers**

**QuarterMaster**

I mean i already know pretty much everything about yeosang but

Hes secretive 

I dont think i should say

**SharkBait**

then that leaves gym rat and Bus Boy 

Yeosang has been put on hold

Although i have my guesses just so you know

**Cap**

guessing's pointless

Its not as if you can always tell just from looks anyway

But now we’re on this subject gym rat has to be some kind of goblin right

Like the nasty kind thatd eat your face off

What else would be that stocky but surprisingly short?

**SharkBait**

Honsetly idk

Hes not a wolf

But his scents kinda weird 

**QuarterMaster**

Come on everyone just guesses goblin when they dont actually know

Just because theres so many kinds of us doesnt mean EVERYONE is a goblin

**Cap**

Well whats your guess?

**QuarterMaster**

What about like a shifter or something

  
  


**SharkBait**

But then wtf was he eating?

/drinking

**Cap**

Ye i saw that too

Didnt want to look too closely tbh

**QuarterMaster**

Cowards

I look forward to the day we find out it was a protein shake or smth

Cant wait to laugh my ass off at you two

**SharkBait**

Well whatever he is can wait

Now we should talk about fake bus boy

**QuarterMaster**

fAkE bUs BoY

hongjoong, buddy how did it feel to be so close to the hottest guy youd ever seen in your life

**Cap**

Not this again

I-dont-think-that

**SharkBait**

I seem to remember you saying pretty much exactly that joong

Your denial is pointless and wastes time and we could be planning your wedding right now

**QuarterMaster**

The plan is Im gonna wear white and upstage him, what else is there to think about

**SharkBait**

You know

I give this my approval 

**Cap**

You really dont have to do that

**SharkBait**

I could get used to that scent

**QuarterMaster**

Weird

Tell me more

**SharkBait**

Its kind of like honey?

But deeper

Honeys kinda omega-y and hes definitely an alpha

**QuarterMaster**

Definitely huh

**SharkBait**

Definitely.

**QuarterMaster**

@ **Cap**

Thoughts?

**Cap**

Strangling you

**SharkBait**

WAIT i know what it is its whiskey

But syrupy

Like a really, really expensive whiskey

**QuarterMaster**

Are you kidding joong hes perfect for you

**Cap**

Where on earth do you get these ideas from

No 

you know what

Pretend i never asked i dont want your explanations

**SharkBait**

He must be really used to being around other alphas

His scent got all calm like he was trying to appease me or smth

**QuarterMaster**

...is that good?

**SharkBait**

Ye its like he was trying to be unthreatening 

**QuarterMaster**

Soft boi

**SharkBait**

Exactly

**Cap**

Why dont we talk about Real bus boy now

**SharkBait**

Because we’re really enjoying taking the piss out of you?

**Cap**

Ignoring that

Im assuming hes not a wolf 

Seen as mingi hasnt made a guess yet

**SharkBait**

Dont think so

Dyou think the whole not eating thing was real or 

**Cap**

Why would he fake it 

**QuarterMaster**

To look all cool and mysterious? 

Duh

**Cap**

Theres something wrong with both of you

Like some _seriously_ wrong with you

**QuarterMaster**

Well he doesnt look like a goblin

Or a vamp

**SharkBait**

So hes another wild card

**Cap**

With that attitude??

Nah

Im like 100% sure i know what he is

**QuarterMaster**

Youre not gonna tell us are you

**Cap**

No i dont think i am

Its just going to be so much funner watching you figure it out

Karma, bitches

**SharkBait**

Whatever

If hes not Fae youre paying for my lunches for a week

**QuarterMaster**

Youre not right so thats fine with me

My bets on Elf and if im wrong i’ll buy your lunch for TWO weeks

**Cap**

I cant believe i associate with you two

….

If either of you are right tho i’ll pay your lunches all fucking semester


	7. Dinner

  
  


“I thought vampires were supposed to be nocturnal,” Wooyoung says the next day.

They’re sat against the wide windows making up the second floor wall, a clear view of the drive behind them as they rest their backs against the cool glass, crossing their legs on the wooden sill beneath them. It’s Seonghwa’s favourite part campus, and Yunho had led Wooyoung straight to it after their class ended, already knowing that the others would flock to Seonghwa, too.

The alpha had happily greeted them, unperturbed by Wooyoung’s presence, and Yunho had flopped down onto the edge of the window beside him, the sun hitting his pale skin. 

Yunho nods. “We are.”

“But...the sun-”

“Oh,” the tall boy laughs, sparing a glance over his shoulder at the sunlit glass. “That’s kind of outdated. We’re nocturnal more by habit now. Sunlight doesn’t hurt most of us anymore. We-” he searches for the right word.

“Evolved?” Seonghwa offers.

“Yeah,” Yunho grins. “Vampires are pretty old, after all.”

Wooyoung had never actually talked to a vampire before, so he doesn’t know whether his ignorance is embarrassing or whether Yunho is used to the question. He probably wouldn’t usually be embarrassed by it. Except San’s sitting with them, too.

They’d had their first class together that morning. Wooyoung had already been sitting behind a desk, not entirely happy about the prospect of a theory lesson, when Yunho and San had entered. It had been too late to run away- they’d already seen him, and Yunho had beamed and easily taken the seat beside him. San had walked slower, seemingly less eager, but Wooyoung had taken a seat at the back and in the corner, so he’d saved himself the embarrassment of San sitting on his other side. Yunho was talkative and energetic and nice, and San beside had barely uttered a word, so Wooyoung at least could relax a little during class. But then it had ended, and Yunho had still been clinging to him.

Hongjoong and Mingi are in class. Yeosang, too, is nowhere to be found. Which just leaves Wooyoung alone with a bunch of new people.

He’s good with new people. Usually. When they don’t look like a certain dark haired boy with an unnervingly shark-like grin.

“You know,” Wooyoung says, grasping any topic of conversation that will take the attention away from himself and distract him enough from San as he feels eyes on him, “I’m pretty sure I saw you in this exact spot this morning.”

Seonghwa laughs. “I don’t actually have classes on thursdays.”

“He just comes to keep us company,” Yunho explains, resting his head on Seonghwa’s shoulder. The older boy smiles fondly, then raises his shoulder, so Yunho rolls off of him.

“Hungry?” Yunho asks. Wooyoung wonders whether he’s responding to some unseen hint Seonghwa had given him, that Wooyoung is too new to notice, or whether it’s something in the air, like when Mingi guesses his mood before Wooyoung even has time to speak. Do vampires do that, too?

Seonghwa’s nodding and passing him a wallet. Wooyoung takes his chance. He jumps to his feet as Yunho stands.

“I’ll come with you.”

They know he eats, too. They’d noticed when they were at lunch, so they're not suspicious. Yunho’s asking what Seonghwa wants, barely nodding to show he’s heard Wooyoung, which just leaves San.

Wooyoung tries to sound casual as he asks, “D’you want anything?”

San looks up at him, surprised. He looks at Yunho and Seonghwa, then back at Wooyoung. A few beats of silence pass before he smiles. “No, thanks. I’m not that hungry.”

Wooyoung nods and steps away, letting Yunho lead them both down to the cafeteria. He thinks over San’s answer as they walk. 

_ Not that hungry _ . 

So he  _ does _ eat, right? Or else he would have just said ‘no thanks’, or something. But it isn’t just human food they serve at the cafeteria, so Wooyoung supposes it could be something else he gets hungry for. No closer to the truth, then. It’s still early days. Wooyoung’s slippery enough to get some answers before Mingi. A wolf has nothing on a goblin when they’re talking about this kind of thing. The only person who could win this silly wager before him is Hongjoong.

“Wooyoung?”

With a start, Wooyoung realises they’re standing before the refrigerators in the cafeteria, and Yunho’s blinking down at him.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Wooyoung grabs the closest thing at hand and spends the next few minutes arguing with Yunho about letting Seonghwa pay for it. He succeeds, only by sleight of hand, at passing the cashier money before Yunho can object, and they start up the stairs to the second floor again.

“Are you feeling OK?” Yunho asks. “You seem distracted.”

“Hmm? Oh, no, I’m fine.” Yunho seems unconvinced, sporting a tiny frown, but Wooyoung pulls up his best goblin grin, feeling it stretching his face and lighting his eyes, and that at least seems to convince him a little.

When they return to their group by the window, Jongho has joined them, muttering something to San that makes him laugh as they approach. He greets Wooyoung warmly with a smile. Wooyoung realises Jongho is just as friendly as Yunho, but in a quieter, tamer way, and he sits cross legged by his side on the carpeted floor, facing the others on the sill, feeling surprisingly at ease. 

“Done with classes?”

Jongho nods. “Just waiting on Yeosang.”

The last person in their group to arrive, and then they’d be complete. Without Hongjoong and Mingi, of course, but their groups haven’t known each other long enough to go around as one complete whole, yet. There’s still two distinct subsets in their mix-matched gang.

Wooyoung realises that, whilst Seonghwa coming to school just for the others doesn’t seem at all out of character, there’s probably another reason they’re all waiting very patiently together.

“Are you guys doing something after school?” 

“We usually head back to someone’s house,” Jonho says, nodding.

“Today it’s San’s turn to host,” Yunho adds, shoving San’s shoulder. The dark haired boy rolls his eyes, though his lips tug upwards in a one-sided smile.

“You should come,” Yeosang says behind them, making everyone but Wooyoung jump.

“Sang,” Seonghwa pants, one hand to his chest, “I thought we talked about-”

“-Not sneaking up on people, yeah, yeah.” Yeosang giggles and lowers himself onto the carpet with a hand on Jongho’s shoulders, shimmying into the space between him and Wooyoung. He looks at Wooyoung expectantly, grinning.

Wooyoung starts to shake his head. “I don’t want to spoil your plans-”

“You wouldn’t be!” Yunho reassures him, seeming almost as eager as Yeosang. “Come with us, it’ll be fun.”

Jongho tuts at them. “Shouldn’t it be San inviting people?” he asks, and Seonghwa’s chest puffs out like a proud kindergarten teacher. “It’s his house.” 

Wooyoung tries not to be obvious in avoiding San’s gaze. This close, it’s harder to act nonchalant around him.

“I don’t mind adding another person,” San says, after only a second’s hesitation. When Wooyoung manages to glance up at him, he’s staring back, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. The sun’s behind him, haloing his dark hair, catching the gold of his skin. Wooyoung smiles quickly and looks away.

“What about Hongjoong and Mingi?” Yunho asks. The names already roll so naturally off his tongue, it’s as if they’ve known each other for a lifetime, when in reality it’s only been a few days. “When are they going to be out of class?”

This, Wooyoung thinks, is what could be called a lose-lose situation. If Mingi and Hongjoong go with him, he’ll probably be less likely to notice San all the time, and more people going with him could erase some of the awkwardness, but he wouldn't be able to work things out on his own, first. If they don’t come, he has a head start in the figuring-out-Bus-Boy wager, but he’s also alone with all of these new people, one of which is San, and Mingi and Hongjoong won’t be there to save him.

It’s a tricky situation. Of course, he wants them there. But he also wants to win, so...

“Hongjoong’s staying late,” he says, which isn’t actually a lie. “He wanted to use some of the equipment. Mingi will probably stay with him.”

That last bit might be stretching the truth, slightly, but he’s a goblin. What did they expect from him?

Seonghwa, for one, seems relieved, and Wooyoung can’t help but laugh at the prospect of him running around after all seven of them, fussing and nagging, trying to keep them out of trouble. 

He’s the one that drives them to San’s place, in the end. There’s too many of them to fit in the sleek black thing Seonghwa leads them to in the campus parking lot, but Yeosang happily perches on Wooyoung’s lap for the journey, and then they’re stumbling out onto a short drive and up the stairs into San’s house.

“My parents aren’t home,” the dark haired boy says, as he pads through hallways and ends up at the top of stairs that must lead down into a basement room. “So it’s just us.”

He takes the steps quickly, and the others follow, Yunho and Jongho play-fighting, Yeosang tugging Wooyoung after him, Seonghwa bringing up the rear more calmly, hands in his pockets. 

“Seonghwa’s not going to like this,” Wooyoung can just hear San say, as the door at the bottom of the stairs swings open and they file inside.

Seonghwa takes one look at the room they’ve stepped into and lets out a pathetic groan. “It’s been three days, San,  _ three days _ . How does this happen in three days?”

Wooyoung doesn’t really see what the fuss is about- though Seonghwa descends immediately on a neat row of empty cans, the game room isn’t messy, by his standards. It’s taken up mostly by two sofas perpendicular to each other, so they rest in an L shape that covers every wall but the TV wall. The walls are painted black, and the sofas are light grey fabric, worn in a few places from years of use. Coincidentally, Yunho and Jongho throw themselves onto the parts of the sofa that look worse for wear- they must have spent so much time here.

Seonghwa hisses unhappily as he scoops an empty pizza box from the coffee table and rushes back up the stairs with it and the cans held carefully away from himself. San chuckles, walking to the empty sofa. Wooyoung’s stomach twists with angry butterflies.

“You could have cleaned up,” Yeosang scolds halfheartedly, as he pulls Wooyoung onto the couch beside him. “You know how he gets.”

San shrugs. “Not my problem.” Jongho lobs a pillow at him and he dodges, seamlessly, but only because he was watching. When he throws it back, Yunho catches it so quickly even Wooyoung can hardly track the movement of his arm, and it only makes San’s very human reaction speed seem slower. 

What  _ is _ he?

“If you’re hungry,” Seonghwa says as he reenters, “we can always order food.”

He'd been talking to Wooyoung, but Yeosang hums in agreement. “I’m thinking pizza.”

Yunho makes a gagging sound. “God, please not again. You have no idea how disgusting it smells.”

“To  _ you _ ,” Yeosang corrects, reaching past Wooyoung to shove Yunho. “It smells like heaven to me.”

Ignoring their squabbling, Seonghwa catches Wooyoung's eye again from his spot lingering by the door. “What do you say, Wooyoung?”

“Oh-Um. Sure, if Yeosang wants-”

“Yeosang does want,” Yeosang cuts in, jumping to his feet. Seonghwa holds his phone in the air, and as Yeosang passes, he plucks it out of Seonghwa’s grip, heading up stairs.

Seonghwa settles on the edge of the sofa, closest to the door, taking Yeosang’s spot.  Jongho, now the place is getting crowded, switches couch to go sit beside San.

Yunho, on Wooyoung’s other side, groans. “He ordered pepperoni. He’s doing this on purpose now.”

“Relax,” San laughs, as Wooyoung strains to hear Yeosang's voice somewhere above them but hears nothing. “There’s food for you in the fridge, if you behave.”

Yunho scowls and sticks out his tongue. San rolls his eyes.

Only now that it’s mentioned does Wooyoung notice the mini fridge, sitting on a table shoved into the corner by the TV. If only it was glass fronted, he might be able to see what was inside, but it’s solid metal. 

Yeosang comes back, passing Seonghwa his phone and seeing his seat has been taken. Pouting, he topples onto the other sofa, giving Jongho’s leg a gentle pat so the boy moves over.

“Thirty minutes, they said,” he sighs. “And then I told them who it was for and they said fifteen.”

There’s a chorus of laughter that follows his words, and Wooyoung looks around at them all, confused. Seonghwa isn’t laughing, like the others, but there’s a slight pink tint to his cheeks that wasn’t there before.

Wooyoung’s lips tug into a knowing grin. “You've got an admirer?”

Seonghwa’s eyes fly to his, surprised. “Not you too,” he groans, seeing the understanding in Wooyoung’s sly expression.

“What’s the story?”

Yeosang curls up on the sofa, his expression an almost perfect mirror image of Wooyoung’s. “The poor delivery boy was always late until Seonghwa started answering the door.”

“That doesn’t mean-”

“Trust me, Hwa,” San urges, “it  _ really _ does.” 

Yeosang giggles, and Seonghwa’s mouth snaps shut. Alarmingly, when Wooyoung glances around, he sees San eyeing him, amused. Had that been a hint? Had San admitted something about himself, just to see if Wooyoung would notice?

If it looks like he’s trying too hard to guess, he might blow his chances, so Wooyoung looks away as if he hadn’t noticed the look.

“What do you guys usually do here?” he asks, to no one in particular.

“Depends on how many of us there are,” Yunho muses. “We’re not always together. If it’s just me and Yeosang and San, we're usually dancing, but if Seonghwa and Jongho are here it’s usually gaming.”

“Maybe you’ll finally beat someone now there’s a new guy to explain the rules to, Yunho,” Jongho jokes. He leans forward, cupping his mouth as if telling Wooyoung a secret the other’s shouldn’t hear, though he doesn’t lower his voice. “Seonghwa’s pretty good,” he mutters, “but Yunho’s the reason people think vampires don’t understand technology.”

The other’s laugh- including Yunho, who does his best to assume an offended expression only a second later, as he jumps up onto the sofa with his arms raised beside his face, boxer-style. Chuckling, Seonghwa grabs his arm and tugs him back down.

“Let’s not have a repeat of last time, yeah?”

“What happened last time?” Wooyoung asks, seeing all of their amused expressions.

Yunho lifts a shoulder innocently. “I have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Yeosang frowns exaggeratedly and looks up at the ceiling. “I think they’re talking about the time you thought you could beat Jongho at arm wrestling and he broke your arm in three places.”

Wooyoung whips his head around to look at Yunho, but the vampire just laughs at his horrified expression.

“Regeneration,” he reminds him, curling his wrist as if showing that it’s still functioning. “I’ll get him next time.”

“Sure you will,” Jongho says dryly.

The doorbell rings somewhere upstairs. All heads turn to Seonghwa, who winces. Wooyoung giggles and stands up, pushing Seonghwa back down onto the sofa, deciding to be merciful. When he comes back, pizza boxes in hand, he gets the distinct impression that they’d been talking about him, and almost regrets offering to get the food. But there’s no guilty expressions, and something tells him that whatever they’d been saying hadn’t been bad, so he sets the food on the coffee table with a grin and settles back onto the sofa.

Grimacing, Yunho switches places with Yeosang, so he’s further away from the boxes.

Yeosang scoops a pizza slice gratefully out of the box, and Seonghwa does the same, more delicately. Wooyoung, about to bite down, sees San on the other sofa eyeing the food.

“Still not hungry?” he asks, trying to keep his voice nonchalant, not letting the curiosity shine through too obviously.

He must have failed. A grin spreads slowly over San’s fine features, and he shuffles forward, pulling one of the boxes towards him as Yeosang protests. He takes a bite, chewing slowly, keeping his eyes on Wooyoung’s the entire time as if to say  _ I know what you’re up to.  _ Wooyoung, feeling his face heat up at the attention, is about to look away when San swallows, plucks the bottle out of Yunho’s grip and takes a sip.

It’s blood. Yunho must have got it from the fridge when Wooyoung had been upstairs, but there’s no way it could be anything else. The telltale deep red stains the glass as it moves, tinting San’s lips for a moment as he swallows.

Yunho and Jonho, either side of San, don’t seem surprised. They're looking at Wooyoung, though, watching his expression cautiously. Wooyoung gives a shaky grin and turns away. He’s fairly certain he hears San laugh quietly.


	8. Stuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

** The Three Buccaneers **

**QuarterMaster**

What kind of creature do you know drinks blood AND eats food

**SharkBait**

Like 

Normal food?

**QuarterMaster**

Normal food 

Pizza 

French fries

**Cap**

AND blood?

That

Thats so gross

**SharkBait**

I thought human food was like poisonous to vampires or something

**Cap**

Of course its not its just gross

Like what id imagine drinking blood would be like for us

**QuarterMaster**

um

well

I was with the guys for a while after classes today

**SharkBait**

SNEAKY

Where was my invite????

**Cap**

i wondered where you'd disappeared to

trying to get a headstart in the wager huh

**QuarterMaster**

I  _ WAS _

But now im just very confused and dont know how to process this

**SharkBait**

Wait

Are you saying-

BUS BOY?

**QuarterMaster**

wHaT DoEs It MeAn

**Cap**

What the hell

This is the person youre crushing on

Really woo

This feels like a new low even for you

**SharkBait**

Ye that shits nasty

**QuarterMaster**

I wish i could agree

But i saw it with my own 2 eyes and i am sad to report that im not even ashamed of myself

Scared for my sanity, yes

But can i just say

**SharkBait**

YOU CANNOT NO STOP

I dont want to read anything i cant un-read

**Cap**

Definitely a new low

Wtf is wrong with you

**QuarterMaster**

Lets all just do ourselves a favour and not think about the answer to that question

Too time consuming

What we should think about it WHAT THE HELL IS HE WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

**SharkBait**

Fae could still be right

Theyre pretty tricksy

I dont remember learning about their diet 

I could still be in the running

**QuarterMaster**

Im retracting my guess 

**Cap**

Cheater

**QuarterMaster**

But i have no idea what my new guess is 

Maybe he IS a goblin

I mean id never do that but maybe mingis right and it was a trick

**Cap**

You think he tricked  _ you _ ??

  
  


**QuarterMaster**

????????maybe??????

is it even possible to stomach both of those things?????

  
  


**SharkBait**

What about gym rat any clues

**Cap**

Hey lets not do this about jongho

The bet was about san

Leave jongho out of this

**QuarterMaster**

The betrayal.

Already has a favourite son and it isnt either of us 

**SharkBait**

Not surprising

**QuarterMaster**

Anyway the only thing i got was that hes really strong

Like  _ really _ strong

**Cap**

What did i just say

**QuarterMaster**

Ye ye ok i wont talk about jongho dont maim me

I had a few hours to get a head start in this bet and it got me nowhere

Im gonna go eat my feelings

**SharkBait**

Sounds like a great idea

**

Friday morning rolls in, and Hongjoong finds himself at a table with far too many boys and far too many voices, Yunho’s arm slung over the back of his chair, Yeosang and Wooyoung on his other side, still refusing to sit in separate seats.

He hates that he enjoys it. Hates that he likes how many there are of them now. He’d thought he could never be close with anyone else, now that he has Mingi and Wooyoung, because they’d ruined him for everyone else. He’d had no patience and no interest for anyone else because he knew he’d always have them.

But now there’s just  _ so damn many of them,  _ all huddled around one of the circular tables at the edge of the cafeteria, and Yeosang’s giggling at something Wooyoung has said, and San and Yunho are swatting at each other and grumbling, unable to keep the edges of their smiles from leaking through their petulant frowns, and he doesn’t mind it. He likes hearing the unearthly amount of noise around him, mostly laughter, likes the way Yunho drapes himself over anyone within his reach. 

He can’t help but feel a little off-kilter as well, though. Particularly because, whilst the others have easily acclimatised themselves to their new, larger group, it isn’t only Hongjoong who’s quiet. Seonghwa’s sitting across the table from him, picking at his lunch, and he’s hardly spoken a word since they’d all sat down. He’s making Hongjoong nervous. And irritated, because of his nervousness.

He just doesn’t know where he stands with Seonghwa. The alpha seems to be  _ actively avoiding _ any interaction with him. They haven’t spoken a word to each other. 

Not a lot of people warm up to Hongjoong. Maybe this is just one of these times where they’ll remain politely distant, despite being in the same group. Hongjoong wouldn’t usually be annoyed by that.

But Seonghwa seems fine with everyone else. Right now, even, he’s leaning over to Mingi in the seat next to him, chatting about something Hongjoong can’t hear over Yunho and San’s yelling, a small smile on his face as Mingi nods along.

So why is Hongjoong different?

He’s thinking too much. It isn’t like him.

“Hongjoong?”

It’s San’s voice, which is  _ just  _ what he needs right now, and when he turns towards the dark-haired boy his irritation must be showing on his face, because San half-smirks, half-winces.

“Something wrong?” his eyes slide from Hongjoong across the table, and Hongjoong imagines leaping out of his seat and trying to throttle the life out of him before any of the others can stop him. Maybe they’d just let him. It’s a welcome image.

But an unfair one.

He tries to give San a smile that looks sincere. “Just distracted.”

Wooyoung, who’s tuned into this conversation now that San’s involved, leans closer, almost tipping Yeosang out of his lap in the process. “He’s working on a song,” he explains to San. “He always gets like this when he’s stuck.”

“I’m  not stuck.”

“That’s what he always says, at first.” It’s a new voice, across the table, and Hongjoong glares at Mingi, irritated that Wooyung’s throwaway comment has become the topic of their conversation. Even Jongho is listening in now, looking at Hongjoong curiously.

“Whatever.” Yunho withdraws his arm as Hongjoong stands, pushing his chair away from the table abruptly. “I’m going to the music room.”

Mingi stands, too, instinctively.

“ _ Alone,” _ Hongjoong adds. He strides away before Mingi can oppose. He feels eyes on his back, but he doesn’t turn around to see who’s watching him go.

It’s easier to breathe, when he’s away from the others. Hongjoong knows he has a tempter, knows he should learn to control himself, but he hadn’t realised how worked up he’d gotten until he’s closing the door to the tiny booth he’d found and taken over, sitting behind a desk with a computer already full of his demos. The room’s small, a little box with whitewashed walls, but large enough for the desk and a keyboard. The wall opposite the door is made up of tall mirrors, pointless for a music room but beneficial to Hongjoong, because it gives him the perfect view of the closed door behind him.

He pulls up the track he’d been working on, barely looking at the computer, the motions practised and certain. The headphones balanced on the edge of the computer are his own, probably the most expensive things he’s ever bought. He hadn’t bothered taking them with him the last time he’d left this room- everyone seems to know he prefers this one to the countless other booths the music department has, and leaves it alone.

He shoves the headphones over his ears and presses play, closing his eyes. A steady, slow beat starts playing, little more that the backbone of a song, stuttering in some places he’s still uncertain of. The chorus is faster, with a heavier sound, and it grates at his senses, irritating the hell out of him for some unknown, minuscule reason. He doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t know why. It’s not right.

He’s stuck. Wooyoung had been right, and that’s what had been so damned annoying.

Sighing, he shifts the headphones so only one of his ears is covered. There’s a notebook discarded by the computer, just where he’d left it, and he sifts through the mess of notes, inwardly groaning at the unintelligible scribbles he now can’t make any sense of.

There’s a knock at the door, and when he looks up at the mirror in front of him, he sees Mingi’s inverted image stepping through the doorway.

“You’re not going to ask to come in?”

“You’ve been stressing me out,” Mingi huffs, taking the only other seat in the room, one he’d placed against the wall himself when he’d first insisted upon staying. “I could sense your grumbling all the way from the cafeteria.”

Hongjoong glares at him and turns back to the computer. “That’s not my fault, alpha.”

“I know.” There’s a crumpled sound of paper being drawn from a bag, and Hongjoong glances at Mingi’s reflection to see he’s balancing a notepad on his leg, pen in hand. 

“You’re staying?”

Mingi doesn’t even look up at him. “If you are.”

“I’ll be fine by myself.”

“OK.” He doesn’t move. 

Hongjoong sighs and gets back to work.


	9. Weekend Plans

This is the first time Hongjoong has had weekend plans in a really, really long time.

Most of his weekends before this have been spent holed up in his bedroom, the curtains drawn closed so he can focus, all of his attention directed to his computer screen, until his eyes feel dry and tired and every beat he listens to pounds a stronger pain into his forehead. Mingi and Wooyoung, of course, arrive and leave unannounced, making sure he’s not pushing himself too far, that he remembers to eat, and on a few memorable occasions physically dragging him outside over their shoulders.

But never plans. Never a location and a time for a meetup, with this many smiling faces.

It’d been Wooyoung’s suggestion, late friday night, when most of them had been asleep. But they’d all replied to his message the next morning, immediately ready to change their plans so they could all be together. It had set a dull ache in Hongjoong’s chest, that they’d all be so eager to spent time together, a feeling that isn’t entirely unpleasant.

“Guys!”

It’s Yunho’s voice, bouncing across the cobblestones, loud and excited as he waves at them from the parking lot. Mingi and Wooyoung, crushing Hongjoong between them on a bench, wave back just as excitedly, and then Yunho is in front of them, too fast for them to track, one moment by the car that they’d just watched pull up and the next smiling down at them.

“Am I the first one here?”

Wooyoung shakes his head. “San and Yeosang disappeared to get drinks.”

It’s noon, and the sun has decided to hide behind a great mass of clouds, the sky a dull grey above them, a bite to the air despite the lack of breeze. Hongjoong had been bundled up in a huge, padded jacket by Wooyoung, had gloves passed to him by Mingi, and is the only one who seems to be feeling the cold. Mingi and Wooyoung are in light jackets, but Yunho is in a short-sleeved t-shirt, and Seonghwa, when he catches up, isn’t much better.

Hongjoong grumbles and sinks further into the warmth of his coat. At least Jongho seems huddled up, too, though his cheeks are rosy as if he’d been out in the summer sun.

“D’you guys come here often?” the youngest asks, just behind Seonghwa as they walk at a normal, trackable pace from the car to the bench.

“Only when we can manage to get Hongjoong away from his laptop,” Mingi says, and Hongjoong hits him with a padded sleeve.

Yunho pushes a lock of blond hair away from his face and looks around. They’re in a cobblestoned street, a main road separating two rows of shopfronts, stretching in every direction. A cafe with a red exterior and neon lights too bright even in the overcast dimness of the morning is just the other side of the road, and there’s a distant automated buzz as the door opens, and San and Yeosang step out and spot them all huddled by the bench.

“Took you long enough,” San says.

“Poor Hongjoong was about to turn into an icicle,” Yeosang adds, passing Hongjoong one of the steaming styrofoam cups he’d been balancing. Both boys have trays of them, San handing out sweet-smelling drinks to Wooyoung and Mingi, Yeosang taking one of the more bitter cups that must be coffee and passing another on to Seonghwa.

Hongjoong glares at him for the comment, but accepts his drink gratefully, taking a sip that scorches his entire mouth but is completely worth it for the caffeinated buzz it gives him. Hongjoong is not a morning person.

“Slow down, your burn yourself.”

None of them react to Seonghwa’s nagging, except Seonghwa himself, who bites his lip when Hongjoong looks up at him, as if just realising who he’d been speaking to. Hongjoong clears his throat awkwardly, but nods, smiling a little to show he hadn’t minded.

“Where are we going?” 

Wooyoung shrugs. “We usually just wander.”

“Wandering sounds good,” Yeosang agrees. “So long as it's followed by lunch.”

They trail through the streets as a group, looking in shop windows until they find a shop that peaks their interest. Hongjoong follows Yeosang into a bougie little boutique, sifting through hangers of clothes and hearing laughter filter through the store from the others next door.

Yeosang raises a brow, and Hongjoong nods, following him back out onto the street, stepping into the shop next to the one they’d just left to see what the noise is about.

It’s one of the shops Wooyoung likes to drag them into, the kind that sells pretty much everything you’d never need, from snacks to candles to art supplies to pointless pieces of plastic, and one of Wooyoung’s favourite places. It appeals to his hoarder side, as a goblin, and Hongjoong can’t count the number of times they’d had to physically restrain him from buying bags full of things they’d never see again.

Right now, Wooyoung’s throwing a feather boa over Jongho’s shoulders, delighting himself in fixing the bright, neon orange feathers around the younger boy’s neck. Yunho, standing nearby, already has a hot-pink cowboy hat on his head, identical to the one Mingi’s wearing, and as he turns round they see Seonghwa has a pair of comedy glasses with disco balls hanging from them.

Yeosang giggles. “Wooyoung what have you done to all of them?”

“Mingi don’t you know better than to let him in here?”

Though he’d tried, Hongjoong hadn’t entirely been successful in sounding annoyed, and Wooyoung just laughs and plants a pirate hat in his hair.

San, who’d been behind the others, fiddling with a little wooden trinket box, turns around and grins. “Where’s my costume?” he asks, smirking at Wooyoung, who looks around desperately and grabs a clown mask and thrusts it into San’s hands.

“But this’ll cover my pretty face,” San grins.

“Good.” Yunho shoves it closer to San’s face. “Put it on.”

San glares and turns away. Mingi swoops in as if sensing Wooyoung’s impending disappointment, blowing into a party horn so it unfurls with a squeak and the end hits Wooyoung’s nose.

“Would anyone care for some-” he pulls a packet from behind his back and reads the front “-Djun-gel...vral?”

Yeosang squints at the snack bag. “You  _ definitely _ said that wrong.”

“Please,” Hongjoong sighs, “God, let’s get out of here before he starts trying to say all the Swedish words.”

Seonghwa chuckles. “That sounds like it’s happened before.”

A faint smile touches Hongjoong lips as he’s reminded of every other time they’d stood here, just the three of them, Wooyoung with a glint in his eyes as he takes everything in, Mingi relaxed and capable of making just about any situation funner than Hongjoong could ever think possible.

“It’s more common than you’d expect.”

Jongho clears his throat shyly. “Um- about lunch-”

Seonghwa clicks his tongue, interrupting. “You skipped breakfast again didn’t you?”

Jongho winces. “It’s just- is there anywhere nearby that, um, accommodates to…”

Hongjoong blinks at him owlishly for a second. “Oh. OH. Yeah there’s a few places. But- can I ask what we’re looking for?”

He shouldn’t have asked. Now all eyes are on Jongho, and the boy looks uncharacteristically small as he shuffles on his feet. Seonghwa pats him on the back a few times, reassuring, and it seems to help.

“Ugh, blood. That’d. Be fine.”

Wooyoung being Wooyoung seems completely oblivious to Jongho’s reluctance, tipping his head curiously as his eyes trail over the younger boy. “You don’t look like a vampire.”

“Wooyoung-”

“It’s fine,” Jongho cuts in, smiling a little at Hongjoong. “I’m- I’m not. I’m...more like a ghoul.”

The bags Mingi had been holding topple out of his hands. “Wow,” he breathes, one long, breathy syllable. “You guys actually exist?”

Yeosang snorts- Yunho, too, seems to be holding back his laughter.

“Yes.”

“Let’s save the questions for later, shall we?” Seonghwa says, smiling to show there’s no hard feelings, though his voice is firm. “How about food?”

Hongjoong can feel Wooyoung and Mingi studying him, too, as he takes the lead. Seonghwa’s usually so quiet he hardly speaks at all, but something about Jongho being uncomfortable had brought him to life, and now he’s leading them out of the store and into the street again with a relaxed kind of authority that all of them just instinctively follow.

San, still at the back of the group, sees Hongjoong’s nonplussed expression and laughs, so quietly the others don’t hear him.

“It’s weird to see him go all  _ alpha _ like that, right? It shocked us too, the first time.”

Hongjoong eyes Seonghwa as the others start discussing where to go, pointing in different directions as Seonghwa listens with patient nods of his head. 

“This is a regular thing?”

San shrugs. “Only if he’s with other alphas. Or, you know, if one of us starts getting twitchy. He said it was because of pheromones or something, when I asked him, whatever that means. Instincts just take over.”

“Huh.”

Mingi had told them something similar, once. That when they get annoyed, or angry, or sad, the atmosphere changes, like he’s feeling the same things. Hongjoong supposes it isn’t that different to the times Mingi had got protective, shifting from his usual ease to a fiercer side they don’t usually see, but it’s so much more noticeable on Seonghwa. Quiet, awkward Seonghwa.

It wears off pretty quickly. He’s back to his usual self when they’re sitting around a cafe table, though Hongjoong doesn’t fail to notice the fact that Seonghwa takes the seat beside Jongho, and won’t let the boy out of his sight.

“Here we go again,” Yeosang mutters, sounding amused and annoyed in equal measure, and Hongjoong follows his line of sight to the counter, where San is leaning on the counter top, chatting to a blushing barista. As they watch, Yunho turns from the fridge, spots them, and hastily steps closer, poking San harshly in the side so he stumbles away and Yunho takes his place- much to the barista’s irritation.

Seonghwa waves San over, not quite frowning but not smiling either, and Hongjoong tries not to glance too obviously at Wooyoung. He doesn’t need Mingi’s abilities to sense his disappointment.

At least Yunho provides some distraction, coming back with two trays balanced with food and flasks, which San had left him to bring over by himself.

“This is a cool place,” he says, as he hands out mugs and glasses, sliding plates over to those with the stomach for food. “They even asked what blood type I wanted.” Happily, he takes a seat on Jongho’s other side and sips from a glass bottle, crudely shaped like a cola bottle but with a large black  **AB** printed on the side.

Jongho laughs nervously and sips from his mug with shaking hands. It’s steaming, though when Hongjoong glimpses the liquid inside it’s a dark, rusty red.

Yunho pulls a face. “I don’t know how you can drink it like that.”

“This is how it’s  _ supposed  _ to be,” Jongho says, looking slightly affronted, for a moment forgetting to be embarrassed. 

“It’s not  _ supposed  _ to be drunk at all,” San reminds them both. 

Yunho scoffs. “Like you’re any better.”

It sounds like an old argument, and one Seonghwa has apparently gotten tired of, because he shushes them gently and they comply.

Wooyoung, across the table, takes a bite into a jam-filled pastry and moans. Seonghwa sees San smirk and open his mouth to say something he should  _ definitely  _ not be allowed to say, and clears his throat hastily, too loud, and panics when they all turn to look at him.

“I like it here,” he says, the first thing that comes to his mind. “Is it usually so quiet?”

There’s a couple at a distant table, and a lone, older gentleman further into the store, but other than that, the place is empty. 

Mingi nods. “Hongjoong doesn’t really like crowds.”

Seonghwa feels more than sees them all glance at him. He tries to keep his expression neutral, but Hongjoong looks up at him, and he doesn’t know why suddenly he can’t find his voice.

“It’s not crowds I don’t like,” he says, already going back to staring into his coffee. “It’s just people.”

San snorts, and Yeosang giggles knowingly. When Jongho looks over at him, Seonghwa looks a little dazed. He narrows his eyes, but doesn’t say anything. Later. He’ll ask later.


	10. Drowning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**HwaHwa's Hit list (+jongho)**

**Sin**

Guess whos back on their bullshit

**MamaBird**

First off its either you or yunho

And second leave me out of it i dont want to know

**BigBird**

Lol whatd you do??

**Sin**

Nothing yet

Just saw wooyoung and mingi leaving a music room as i was passing in the corridor

And thought to myself

Wooyoung isnt a music major

And mingi said he was finished for the day 

So this must be the room hongjoong always locks himself up in 

And that this info might be useful to someone in this chat whos still at school

**BigBird**

Yeaaaah seonghwa ~get it~

**MamaBird**

Whatever ~it~ is i dont want it

And im not going to show up unannounced somewhere he goes to be alone

**Sin**

*goes to work

Mingis with him like all the time

Do you or do you not want to win this wager

**BossBaby**

Whats the bullshit part you were talking about

**Sin**

Oh yeah

I hid seonghwa’s car keys in the music room

**BigBird**

YOU WHAT

**MamaBird**

HOW DID YOU TAKE MY KEYS

THEYVE BEEN IN MY POCKET ALL DAY I DONT UNDERSTAND

**Sin**

Had some help

**BossBaby**

Yeosang come on man

**SkaterBoi**

Whaaaat its funny

Im part of this bet too remember

I also want to win

**MamaBird**

Why would you do this to me

**Sin**

I can just imagine your panicked little face right now

Give it your best shot i hwa

Make him cry

**BossBaby**

Please dont do that

* * *

  
  


**Seonghwa**

…..

Please get my keys for me

**Jongho**

I already went home hwa

Just like everyone else

**Seonghwa**

Ill love you forever and ever???

**Jongho**

You’ll do that anyway

**Seonghwa**

:(

Youre right

**Jongho**

Just go in and apologise and blame it all on san being an ass

Hongjoongs definitely going to believe you

**Seonghwa**

Yeah

He doesnt seem like sans biggest fan does he

**Jongho**

You noticed too?

Hwa

Can i ask you something?

**Seonghwa**

Always 

You know that jongho

Is something wrong??

**Jongho**

No, the question isnt about me

Im just wondering

Well

Whether you actually _do_ like hongjoong

**Seonghwa**

What

Jongho i thought you knew better than the others

**Jongho**

You know im on your side 

Its just, san is rarely wrong about this kind of thing

Even though i hate to say it

**Seonghwa**

Ive hardly spoken to him

**Jongho**

I know 

But you kind of tend to get attached to people quickly

And then theres the whole

Voice thing

And i was just wondering whether that had anything to do with you avoiding hongjoong or being nervous around him or something

You seemed kinda off at the weekend

**Seonghwa**

Theres no ‘voice thing’

and im not avoiding anyone hes just been in the studio all week

we were all together at the weekend werent we

im not avoiding him

**Jongho**

Ok well

Dont

And remember you can always talk to me 

Im on your team hwa

**Seonghwa**

Thank you jongho

**Jongho**

And if you walk home or take a cab so you can avoid going into the music room i _will_ break you

**Seonghwa**

Yessir

  
  
  


He can’t hear anything through the door. His own shaky breathes echo back at him as he steps closer, straining to hear anything other than the beat of his heart in his ears and hearing nothing beyond the wood. Before he can lose his nerve, or imagine one more scenario where he makes a complete fool of himself right now, he taps lightly on the door, opening it slowly.

Hongjoong is slumped over a desk, rolling a pen across the tabletop. He hasn’t noticed Seonghwa enter.

Seonghwa freezes, halfway through the door. If he says nothing, he hasn’t been given permission to enter, and he might scare Hongjoong, but the other boy has headphones on, and from what Seonghwa can see of his expression in the mirror, is dazed out completely.

After a moment of Seonghwa’s buffering by the door, though, Hongjoong must sense the eyes on his back, because he turns around, quickly, his eyes widening when he sees Seonghwa standing there.

He rips the headphones off. “Did-did you need something?”

Taking that as permission, Seonghwa slips inside, closing the door so gently behind him that it doesn’t make a sound. 

“I’m not...sure how to explain this,” he starts, and Hongjoong frowns. “But San kind of...hid my car keys in this room. And I kind of need them to leave.”

“Why would he do that?”

Seonghwa shrugs. “You’d have to ask him.”

He thinks that’s a safe answer to give. Hongjoong doesn’t seem to be jumping up and down for the chance of asking San anything.

The silver haired boy glances around the room. “There isn’t really many places to hide things.”

“Well, Yeosang apparently helped him. So I’m sure they’re here somewhere.”

Even if he doesn’t entirely understand Seonghwa’s meaning, Hongjoong knows enough about Yeosang to know that he’s tricky, so he just nods, wheeling his chair a little away from the desk so they can check it.

“Sorry,” Seonghwa says immediately. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but..”

“It’s alright,” Hongjoong sighs, as he pulls one of the desk drawers out and starts rifling through the papers sitting inside. “I wasn’t getting very far anyway.”

This is the first conversation they’ve ever had, and it’s just the two of them, in an otherwise silent room where the quiet presses down on Seonghwa and makes him infinitely more nervous. Because he was lying. He hadn’t told Jongho the truth. This is most definitely what the younger boy would class as a ‘voice thing.’ And it’s so embarrassingly stupid, because this is the first time he’d even heard Hongjoong speak more than a few words at a time, and he still can’t deny it. He’s drowning in the sound of his voice.

Seonghwa swallows thickly and tries to keep his voice level as he asks: “Having trouble with a song?”

Hongjoong hums a yes, not saying anything, and Seonghwa tries to pull himself together, feeling around the back of the computer carefully but finding nothing.

“I get a little-” Hongjoong pauses to lean closer to a drawer, trying to see the back of it “-reclusive, when I get stuck.” He’s not good at apologies, but he hopes Seonghwa understands anyway, that he’s apologising for walking off at lunch, for all the times he’s been distant when the others were having fun.

Seonghwa’s voice is quiet as he replies. “There’s no need to apologise.”

Of course he’d understood. Of course he’s nicer than Hongjoong could ever hope to be. It’s irritating.

The drawer he’d been searching slams shut with more force than he’d meant. “I don’t think your keys are actually here,” he says.

It takes a moment for Seonghwa to register the fact that he’d spoken, his eyes a little glazed over when they finally lift to Hongjoong’s face.

“Are you OK?”

He nods immediately, but the breath Seonghwa exhales as he shuffles Hongjoong’s notebooks around is shaky and too loud.

Hongjoong frowns, eyeing the other boy warily. “What’s going on?”

Seonghwa sniffs, flexing his fingers to try and hide the fact that they’re shaking, ever so slightly. “Nothing, I’m fine-”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Can you just not-” Seonghwa stops, blowing out a long breath of air, trying to regain his balance.

“Not what?” Hongjoong asks, an urgent edge to his words, his stomach deciding to take a dive toward the ground.

Seonghwa lets out another shaky breath and falls into the chair Mingi usually curls up in, his hands going over his ears. Hongjoong curses, too loudly for the quiet of the room, and hesitates before approaching, kneeling in front of the chair as Seonghwa’s breathing turns shallow and quick.

He panics. He doesn’t mean for it to happen.

“It’s alright,” he says, smoothing out the words on his tongue, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the sound of Seonghwa’s stuttering breathing. “Nothing’s wrong. You’re alright.”

Seonghwa stills, his hands coming away from his ears, and Hongjoong nods encouragingly.

“You’re alright,” he repeats, and Seonghwa takes a deep, deep breath. He leans closer, and Hongjoong, slowly, puts a hand on his knee, awkward and uncertain.

The door opens suddenly, and Hongjoong startles, looking up to see Mingi gaping down at him.

“Hongjoong,” he hisses, shutting the door firmly behind him, “why are you razzle dazzling fake bus boy!”

Hongjoong jumps to his feet like he’d been burned. “Wha-” as he moves, he catches something in the mirror, a sudden flash of colour, and his gut twists with nausea. It’s his eyes. They’re a burning, bright magenta.

“Shit.”

He gapes at Seonghwa, but the older boy won’t look up at him no matter what he does. Mingi snaps his fingers in front of his face a few times, but the only reaction they get is a slow lean away from the noise.

“Oh god,” Hongjoong moans. “Mingi, what do we do?”

“Why are you asking me?” Mingi cries. “I wasn’t the one who-”

“I know, I know, this is all my fault! I didn’t mean to- he just started freaking out on me, and I didn’t know what to do-”

Mingi places his hands on Honjoong’s shoulders. “Calm down,” he urges. “It’s going to be alright. The effects always wear off, don’t they? He’ll snap out of it soon.”

Hongjoong collapses into his desk chair, head in his hands.

“I really didn’t mean to,” he says miserably.

“I believe you.”

Seonghwa splutters, coughing violently, and both of them jump, but sigh with relief when they see the alpha’s wide eyes fly around the room, over their faces, a faint red glowing in his irises.

“What the hell happened to me?” Seonghwa asks, voice hoarse. 

Mingi isn’t usually a good liar, but somehow manages to sweep in before Hongjoong can say anything, his voice gentle and soft. “You started freaking out. Hongjoong came to get me. How do you feel?”

Seongwha’s already trying to get to his feet. Minigi and Hongjoong exchange a glance, equally shocked expressions on their face, as he pulls himself up with one hand on the wall, unsteady but standing.

“I’m fine,” he reassures them, though both of them seriously doubt he’s actually alright. “I think I just need air.”

Mingi jumps at the opportunity to get him out of the tiny airless room. “I’ll take you.” 

For once, Hongjoong's alone in his studio.

  
  



	11. The Wrong Apology

Seonghwa doesn’t seem to remember anything. The next day, though Hongjoong had been seriously considering hiding in a locker to avoid him, Seonghwa sits with them at lunch, as quiet as ever, and doesn’t even spare Hongjoong a glance. Mingi is shifty, glancing between them, and he jumps when Hongjoong puts a hand on his knee under the table, trying to tell him to be less suspicious before the others notice.

Jongho, who’s usually the most perceptive of Seonghwa’s moods, is too engrossed in a conversation with Yeosang to notice whether there’s anything wrong, which Hongjoong supposes must be a good thing, because if Jongho starts asking questions, Seonghwa might remember, and then things would get  _ very  _ awkward very quickly.

_ I didn’t mean to mind-control you, I promise. I didn’t tell you I could do that? It must have slipped my mind. I promise I won’t do it again, cross my heart! _

God. Hongjoong is not looking forward to the conversations he’ll need to have when they all eventually find out. This is why he sticks with Wooyoung and Mingi. They’ve known about his specific brand of crazy for long enough to be used to it. There's no need for explanations.

They don’t really speak about it. Hongjoong hadn’t realised what he could do until long after Mingi presented- it was only a few years back that he started to wonder why people were suddenly listening to him, why sometimes he’d feel this sudden rush of certainty when he spoke his mind. He’d been confused about it for a while before he saw his eyes, a coincidence as Mingi had walked in on a conversation he’d been having with his parents, and showed Hongjoong his face in a mirror. None of them knew what it meant, just that the vivid pink would only glow in his eyes when he wanted something, and then people would do whatever he asked of them. 

They'd waited for some kind of change in him, some presentation, but there'd been nothing else. He didn’t have Wooyoung’s knack for tricks and word play, didn’t have Mingi’s strength or instincts. Only this, a strange ability none of them had expected him to have. It was Wooyoung who'd finally put the pieces together.

“Hongjoong?”

The voice that pulls him out of his thoughts is Yunho’s, inquiring, as if he’d said his name a few times already and Hongjoong hadn’t responded.

“What?”

“We were just talking about this new restaurant that opened close to campus. It does every... kind of food.”

Hongjoong tries to force his slow thoughts to catch up to the situation, unsure what’s being asked of him. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sounds good.”

“It’s Yunho's birthday soon,” Yeosang adds, leaning forward, seeing the distant confusion on Hongjoong’s face. “He won’t let us buy him anything, so we usually go out.”

“Right.”

For the first time, Seonghwa looks straight at him. He tips his head, trying to see more of Hongjoong’s face. “Are you alright?”

Seonghwa’s worried about him. Would it be the same if he could remember last night?

“Fine,” Hongjoong says, probably too firmly. 

He needs something to do. A keyboard under his fingers, a song blasting through headphones. His chair scrapes tile as he stands.

“I think I’m gonna go-” he points in the general direction of the music rooms, and a few heads nod, already accepting that he’s leaving to work again, like he always does. He swallows a rush of guilt and realises Mingi is already rising to follow him.

“I’m be fine,” he says as he passes Mingi, pushing him by the shoulders back into his seat. “It won’t be for long, I have a class anyway.”

Even though he looks like he wants to argue, Mingi lets him go.

That doesn’t stop someone else from coming, of course.

Seonghwa knocks, and this time, somehow knowing to expect a visit, Hongjoong opens the door to see him swaying on his heels, a small frown on his face.

Crap. What if he actually  _ does  _ remember what Hongjoong did to him last night?

Though he tries to keep it flat, Hongjoong’s voice isn’t completely calm as he asks: “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I wanted to apologise.”

Oh God. This is really happening, isn’t it? Is this worse than a confrontation? Probably.

Hongjoong doesn’t know what to say. Seonghwa sees his hesitation and must interpret it to mean something bad and unforgiving, because he points shyly to the room behind Hongjoong. “Can I come in for a moment?”

Without thinking about it, Hongjoong steps aside. His mind is still too slow to process anything as he turns and closes the door, he and Seonghwa enclosed in the tiny room together just like they’d been last night.

“What-”

“I’m-”

Both of them start and stop at the same time, and Hongjoong huffs and beckons Seonghwa to continue, somewhat relieved to let the older boy do the talking.

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa starts again. “I don’t-well, I’m slightly hazy on the details of last night, but Mingi told me I reacted badly and, well, I wanted to apologise. In case I scared you.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Hongjoong says quietly. 

Seonghwa doesn’t seem satisfied. Hongjoong supposes that’s fair, because even with the guilt running through him when he thinks of last night, he really is curious- and a little spooked, if he’s honest- about Seonghwa’s sudden reaction. Everything had been fine, until it wasn’t. Perhaps if he hadn’t screwed up so badly himself, he’d be expecting an explanation, and Seonghwa at least seems to think one is necessary. His frown hasn’t quite managed to soften, and his eyes are focused on his shoes as he thinks. 

Hongjoong circles him to sit at the desk chair, wanting to put as much space between the two of them as possible. It’s an instinctive movement, the usual want to distance himself in case he makes some stupid mistake and does something he doesn’t want to- just like he’d done yesterday. But Seonghwa doesn’t see it like that. His frown deepens, and his eyes jump from the floor to where Hongjoong’s now sitting, as if seeing Hongjoong’s desire to put space between them as a kind of wariness, or even dislike.

“Do you know what inners are?” he asks suddenly, his voice urgent at first, before he manages to calm it.

Hongjoong frowns. “Did I take eight grade biology? Yes, Seonghwa, I know what inners are. This is about your-your alpha?”

Seonghwa nods, a light pink brushing his cheeks, seeming just as embarrassed by the way their conversation is headed as Hongjoong is.

“My alpha's kind of...sensitive, to certain things.”

Hongjoong has no idea how this could be related to an apology over Seonghwa’s freak out last night, but he goes along with it. “Things like what?”

“Scents.” Seonghwa wrings his hands, then looks up at Hongjoong through his lashes, grimacing as he adds, “Voices.”

Hongjoong stares at him. “This is about my  _ voice _ ?”

The nod Seonghwa gives in answer is really more of a wince. “Yes.”

“You freaked out because you don’t like my voice.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it," Seonghwa says immediately, "it’s- it’s just a little overwhelming-”

“What am I supposed to do, Seonghwa, not talk to you at all?”

The alpha's mouth drops open. “No! No, that’s not what I want, I’m just trying to explain. Why I reacted the way I did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

Seonghwa laughs incredulously. “What was I supposed to say?” he asks, the words coming out breathy and bitterly amused. “Something like: Hi hongjoong, how was your day, also your voice tastes like really good seafood and it’s kind of distracting?”

He...can’t have heard that right. Hongjoong searches for the right thing to say, but all that he manages is a confused, stuttering, “What?”

Seonghwa groans and hangs his head. “Exactly.”

“ _ Tastes? _ My voice? ”

“I don’t know how else to explain it.”

Hongjoong’s voice does things to people. He knows that now, has known it ever since he’d spotted the pink of his eyes for the first time and realised that there might be a reason for his voice sounding strange to his own ears sometimes, how it flattens into something more certain than he usually feels. But- well, this is definitely the first time anyone had had  _ this  _ reaction to it.

“Seafood.”

Seonghwa's cheeks have started to burn a more noticeable red. “Maybe not seafood," he admits. "More like... the ocean.”

“Is-is it happening right now?”

“A little.” Seonghwa laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck. “It’s OK, though. It happens, sometimes, it’s not just you. It just took me by surprise, yesterday. It was kind of the first time we’d had a real conversation.”

“This is why you hate crowds?”

Seonghwa nods, his eyes wide as if surprised Hongjoong had made the connection, or perhaps just surprised Hongjoong’s still talking to him. “They’re...very confusing.”

Huh. Not exactly what he'd been expecting. “Are you sure this is an alpha thing?”

“What else could it be?”

_ A me thing _ , Hongjoong thinks. But Seonghwa said it happens with other people, too, so maybe it’s not just a severe reaction to the things Hongjoong can do. Of course, there’s another option.

“You’ve never heard of synesthesia?”

Seonghwa’s eyes narrow. “Uh-no, I can’t say I have.”

Hongjoong grabs his phone from where he’d chucked it onto the desk, typing the word into a search bar and showing the results to Seonghwa. The alpha takes the phone with both hands, squinting thoughtfully down at the words on the screen.

“This is...a human thing?”

Oh. Oh, no.

“It might be applicable.”

But Seonghwa hardly seems to hear him. His eyes are zoned in on Hongjoong’s face, flickering over his features as if looking for hints there.

His voice is soft in the quiet of the room. “You’re...you’re human, aren’t you? That’s why they’re always with you. Mingi or Wooyoung. They don’t want to leave you alone.”

Hongjoong’s stare is so unwavering, so challenging, that he knows he must be right.

But Hongjoong knows he’s not  _ entirely  _ right. It would be so much easier if he was.

“Seonghwa, can you really not remember what happened last night?”

The alpha shakes his head, confused. “What is there to remember?”

“You started freaking out on me,” Hongjoong urges. “And then what?”

“Then-” Seonghwa’s frown deepens, pulling at his lips, wrinkling his forehead. “Then there’s nothing. Did I do something?”

“No. No, you calmed down pretty quickly.” Not by yourself. I might have had something to do with it.

“Well, thank you. For not freaking out when I...freaked out.”

“Don’t thank me,” Hongjoong tells him, begs him, the guilty feeling twisting his gut again. 

He should explain. He should tell him that 'human' is right, but not right enough. That there’s something more. But he only says: “It was Mingi who helped.”

“Thank you anyway,” Seonghwa insists. “For listening. It’s alright if you think i’m a weirdo now, you’re probably right.”

“I don’t think that." How could I think that, with everything you don't know about _me?_ "It’s not something you can control, right?”

Seonghwa shakes his head, trying and failing to hide a small smile. Hongjoong’s surprised to find himself smiling, too.

“It is pretty weird, though,” he says, unable to help himself, and Seonghwa laughs, softly.

“I know.”


	12. Trading Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

** The Three Buccaneers **

**QuarterMaster**

DSHDFADOIFIOGEDSAN 

**SharkBait**

Gesundheit

  
  


**Cap**

Can you be more specific

**QuarterMaster**

WHAT HAVE I DONE

ROOKIE MISTAKE

I should be better than this

**SharkBait**

Oh jUiCy what you do 

**Cap**

Never say juicy again

**QuarterMaster**

Well i might have accidentally liked a pic on instagram that was posted like LAST YEAR

**SharkBait**

IS THIS ABOUT SAN

NO WAY

**Cap**

Is someone going to explain what the big deal is??

**QuarterMaster**

He’Ll SeE ThAt IvE BeEn StAlKiNg HiS FeEd JoOnG

ThE PiC wAs So OlD

**Cap**

Have you saw the things he comments on the others’ instas

I dont think he’s the kind to make a fuss over something like that

**SharkBait**

Yeah i dont think someone that leaves such ungodly comments on their best friends pics really cares about who likes his posts

It was just a friendly like

Doesnt mean youve exposed yourself

**QuarterMaster**

Just a friendly like huh

iT wAs JuSt A fRiEndLy LiKe YoUr HoNoUr

**SharkBait**

nah youre fucked 

**Cap**

Cant say im surprised he posts things like that

**QuarterMaster**

Im packing my bags and moving to canada

Its time to say our goodbyes im leaving forever

**SharkBait**

It really isnt that bad

**QuarterMaster**

That pic is from LAST YEAR

**Cap**

He might not even have noticed

You unliked it right??

**QuarterMaster**

Immediately

But if he was on his phone hed have got the notificatioooooon

What do i do someone put me out of my misery

**SharkBait**

... _is_ there something you can do?

Besides moving to canada

Pretty sure youll just have to pray extra hard that he didnt see the notification

**QuarterMaster**

Why do i do these things

**Cap**

Maybe this is a good thing 

Now you can find a guy thats- i dont know

Actually nice?

**QuarterMaster**

As nice as that pic i just showed you?

Sounds fake

  
  


**SharkBait**

You have a problem with san?

  
  


**Cap**

I just dont see the appeal is all im saying

Hes just another arrogant pretty boy isnt he

**SharkBait**

Doesnt sound too bad to me tbh

**QuarterMaster**

EXACTLY

Mingi gets it

Can you pls tell joong hes being crazy

**Cap**

Seriously??

Does he ever talk about anything but himself when youre with him?

**QuarterMaster**

I happen to think hes pretty interesting 

**Cap**

What part of him

**SharkBait**

Geez joong whats gotten into you

**Cap**

I just dont like his whole tough guy act is all

How do you even know you actually like him? What if thats just his effect?

pls tell me youve noticed other peoples reactions to him

**QuarterMaster**

Are you even thinking about what you’re saying?

How do you think people see _you_?

**Cap**

Hey

I dont act like san

You know i try

**QuarterMaster**

Yeah

and i also know that the only reason you dont like san is because youre jealous he lets himself act like you want to act

**Cap**

Why would i want to act like him

**QuarterMaster**

Because its easy? And its who you are?

Just cause youre feeling repressed and self pitying doesnt mean sans the antichrist joong

**SharkBait**

ouch

I think this is the part where i step in and tell you both to shut your faces before things get too serious

If yall keep fighting i will!not!hesitate in shutting you both up myself

**Cap**

Shit 

youre right im sorry

I dont want us to fight about a boy

**QuarterMaster**

Me either

I didnt mean... all of those mean things i said

**Cap**

Nasty goblin boi

**QuarterMaster**

Angry lil bitch

**SharkBait**

Im glad youve made up

**Cap**

Will it make you feel better if i tell you youre not the only one who fucked up big time

**QuarterMaster**

Only if i get to know all of the details

**Cap**

ugh

boy

So 

Turns out theres a reason seonghwa reacted so badly to the

The thing i did

**QuarterMaster**

You mean when you razzle dazzled him

**Cap**

Accidentally

But yes

If you still insist on calling it that

**SharkBait**

We do

**QuarterMaster**

Is this about him completely zoning out for a sec 

**Cap**

Yeah

Apparently he was freaking out because of my voice

Before i 

Razzle dazzled him

**SharkBait**

You mean…

You were razzle dazzling him before you tried to razzle dazzle him??

**Cap**

No

At least i dont think so 

He said hes sensitive to peoples voices

And i thought what he was talking about sounded familiar so i looked it up and showed him

And turns out thats apparently a human thing so he got v suspicious and im kind of freaking out about it

He thinks im a human now what do i do

**SharkBait**

I mean

Hes kind of right??

**QuarterMaster**

And kind of not

**Cap**

Should i have told him?

What if he figures it out later and thinks i lied to him

**QuarterMaster**

Its not as if you owe him an explanation joong

You said he freaked out BEFORE you razzle dazzled him, right?

**Cap**

Yeah because of my voice wooyoung

**SharkBait**

Relax joong it wasnt your fault

And anyway human IS kind of right

So its not as if youre really ~lying~ to him

**QuarterMaster**

Wait

This is your massive problem that was supposed to make me feel better?? 

That the hottest boy youve ever seen in your life has a literal voice kink and doesnt think youre threatening??

**Cap**

Seriously wtf is wrong with you

He does not have a voice kink

**QuarterMaster**

Sounds fake but k

**Cap**

The PROBLEM is that he said it reminded him of the ocean

Like the sea

My voice

**QuarterMaster**

.......oh

**SharkBait**

Wtf

**Cap**

Which means its only a matter of time before he figures everything out and no one wants to be friends with me anymore because they dont trust me which means im stuck with the two of you again 

**QuarterMaster**

Is it just me

Or does he seem a little too concerned about what fake bus boy thinks about him

**SharkBait**

Mmm

I was also thinking that

**Cap**

Why are you both talking about me like Im not literally right here

**QuarterMaster**

Because if we ask you youll just deny it???

**Cap**

Youre right

I will

**SharkBait**

Sounded a lil like a confession to me but thats just my opinion :[

**Cap**

The problem is actually having friends for once and then when they all realise what i could do they wont trust us anymore

That sucks

That really REALLy sucks

Especially because i havent even won that stupid bet yet and im SO certain im right

**QuarterMaster**

I see

And now ive teased you is it fair to assume youre not gonna tell me what san is?

**Cap**

Yeah thats pretty fair

S-u-f-f-e-r

**QuarterMaster**

I ALREADY AM OK HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT PIC

FUCK i just reminded myself of what i did 

**SharkBait**

Guys you know its bad when im the one with their shit together

Hongjoongs wondering whether all of our friends including the love of his life will hate him soon

**Cap**

love of my wat now

**SharkBait**

And youre just waiting to see whether san noticed your thirsting over him

School tomorrows gonna be hella entertaining for me 

Just saying

**QuarterMaster**

Youll have to enjoy it without me

Canada here i come


	13. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

** HwaHwa's Hit list (+jongho) **

**BigBird**

San if i find out you had anything to do with last night im killing you with my bare hands and a dessert spoon

**SkaterBoi**

Weird dream???

**BigBird**

YOU COULD SAY THAT YEAH

SO MANY CLOWNS  
LIKE A STRANGE SURPLUS OF CLOWNS

ALMOST LIKE SOMEONE WAS MESSING WITH ME

**Sin**

I mean i didnt _do_ it

but i definitely enjoyed witnessing it

**BigBird**

@ **MamaBird** ive been traumatised can you write me a sick note

No school for me

**MamaBird**

It was just a dream yunho

Stop being so dramatic

**BigBird**

Thats like telling me to stop breathing hwa

**SkaterBoi**

Ye great

Do it

**BigBird**

:L

**BossBaby**

Me and wooyoung found a spot on the grass for lunch

/free periods if anyone has them today

  
  


**BigBird**

Outside??

**SkaterBoi**

No yunho the inside grass

**BigBird**

>:(

**BossBaby**

Dont worry its in the shade

Dont want your pale ass bursting into flame

**Sin**

Why just his ass

Oh i understand

**MamaBird**

…..

Can today just be over already

* * *

  
  
  


Despite his message, Seonghwa’s laughing loudly at something Yeosang said as they find Jongho outside. Mingi's stretched out on his back in the grass, Yunho already sitting carefully in the shade of a nearby tree.

“Wooyoung’s trying to drag Hongjoong outside,” Mingi says as they sit, pointing noncommittal over to the other door in the campus building, not even opening his eyes. Seonghwa and Yeosang turn to see Hongjoong being pushed none too gently through the doorway and onto the grass, his expression twisting as he whines, Wooyoung just visible behind him shoving him forward. 

“I said just a few more min-”

“I _will_ fireman carry you all the way over there if I have to!” Wooyoung cries, and Hongjoong groans, but complies as he’s shepherded to their spot on the grass, schooling his expression as they all look up at him. Seonghwa gives him a small, amused smile.

Yeosang laughs as Hongjoong squints in the sunlight. “We don’t have to worry about you bursting into flames out here too, do we?”

“No,” Hongjoong grumbles. He pushes Mingi onto his side to make room for himself, and the alpha whines, but moves.

Wooyoung throws himself into the grass beside Yeosang and lies down, resting his head in the other boy's lap and throwing a hand over his eyes. "I thought you said you were fine in the sun," he says to Yunho.

“He is," Yeosang laughs. "He's just pale and dramatic."

"Shouldn’t you guys be buying lunch?” Seonghwa asks, looking around at them all.

Wooyoung grimaces. “It’s too hot to eat anything.”

“Speak for yourself.” Yunho takes a swig from his flask and sighs happily. He senses eyes on him- when he turns, he finds they're Jongho's, and he holds the flask in the air and shakes it, offering. Jongho shakes his head quickly and looks away.

“What about you?” Hongjoong asks. He’s looking at Seonghwa, who’s resting against Jongho’s side, his hair pushed back from his forehead, silver sunglasses reflecting Hongjoong’s face back at him.

The alpha gives him a confused smile. “What about me?”

“You’re not eating either.”

“You worried about him, Joong?” a voice behind them says. Hongjoong looks up to see San smirking down at him and tries not to roll his eyes.

Seonghwa sighs and tears up a handful of grass. “It's thursday,” he says, answering as if San had never interrupted. “I have all day to eat.”

“Well I don’t,” Yeosang protests, and San laughs incredulously.

“You’re _welcome_ ,” he says bitterly, holding out the paper bag in his hand. Yeosang claps and takes it, pulling out a few plastic containers and laying them on his jacket in the grass, then pulling out a flask and offering it to Jongho.

“Yeosang,” the younger boy whispers. Curious as to why Jongho hasn’t taken the flask yet, Yeosang turns, and Jongho taps a spot on his own chest and his eyes flicker down. Yeosang’s hand immediately goes to his throat- the necklace always around his neck has slipped out of his shirt, the pearl catching the light. He tucks it back in as fast as he can without drawing too much attention, giving Jongho a shaky smile as a thank you. Jongho just nods and accepts the flask, though he doesn’t drink.

Hongjoong huffs and squeezes his eyes shut against the sun. “If you force me to come out here, I'm demanding ice cream.”

Wooyoung whines, but he knows he’s the one Hongjoong’s speaking too, and he reluctantly climbs to his feet, with a lot of groaning and sighing to show how unhappy he is at the prospect of moving in such heat.

“Who’s coming with? Anyone?”

Seonghwa speaks before anyone else can get the chance. “San’ll go with you!” 

“I will?”

Seonghwa tips his chin to where Wooyoung’s standing just behind him. “Go on. Get me something cold.”

“Just lean on Yunho,” San mutters.

Yunho moans. “No one touch me.”

San knows what Seonghwa’s trying to do, but he can’t really say no without being rude, so he trails Wooyoung back into the building, throwing a scowl over his shoulder that makes Seonghwa chuckle. Hongjoong’s eyes narrow suspiciously at the exchange, and Seonghwa clears his throat awkwardly and starts talking to Jongho about the first thing that comes to his mind.

Wooyoung, inside the school, makes for the fridges as quickly as possible, painfully, painfully aware of the silence between them as San rushes to keep pace. He grabs the first tiny tub of ice cream he sees still left in the cafeteria freezer without so much as reading the flavour, but San hovers by his side, uncertain.

He picks out something for Seonghwa, then keeps reading the labels.

“Are you eating?”

San meets his eye without surprise- had he been waiting for Wooyoung to ask that?

“Maybe,” he hums, then shifts lazily around the freezer until he finds what he’s looking for. A dark red wrapper, an **AB** printed on the side. He gives Wooyoung a smile that’s all teeth and slyness and Wooyoung turns towards the counter and throws the ice creams down. The staff behind the counter gasps in surprise and San laughs.

“Easy,” he tells Wooyoung, shuffling a rolling ice cream tub back to the centre of the counter and giving the woman at the till an apologetic smile.

Wooyoung’s noticed people’s reactions to San before. Even on the bus, the first time he’d spotted him, people were always following him with their eyes, smiling even when their eyes met for a fraction of a second, giggling and blushing and hanging on his every word. He’d thought it was just an effect of San’s appearance, but as he watches San turn the poor cashier scanning their ice creams into a puddle of goo with just a few small smiles, he begins to reconsider. 

Hongjoong’s certain he knows what San is. That must be why Hongjoong doesn’t like that Wooyoung’s crushing on him. 

_How do you even know you actually like him? What if that's just his effect?_

The cashier giggles. San smirks.

Oh.

Oh no.

 **“** Come on,” San says, scooping the pile of ice creams and drinks into his arms and turning from the counter.

Wooyoung’s stomach leaps into his throat. “Uh, I’ll catch you out there,” he manages, pointing to a corridor in the wall beside them that leads to the bathrooms. San nods and juggles the food in his arms, not complaining about being stuck carrying them all himself, not asking whether Wooyoung’s alright.

Wooyoung dives into the bathrooms and pulls out his phone.

* * *

**Wooyoung**

Ok fuck dont make it seem like im texting you

**Hongjoong**

….but you are

How do i do that

**Wooyoung**

I dont know just dont say its me if anyone asks who youre texting

I told san i was going to the bathroom

**Hongjoong**

Ok

Whats going on????

**Wooyoung**

I think i figured it out and im freaking out??????

**Hongjoong**

ah

I mean it took you long enough woo its so obvious

**Wooyoung**

I just need to know what you thought he was

Just to check if im right

Cause i really dont want to be right

**Hongjoong**

To bad woo YOUR BOYS AN INCUBUS  
  


**Wooyoung**

NO

GOD  
i wanted you to say something else

Joong what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck do i do with this information!!!!!

**Hongjoong**

How bout you start by coming out of the bathroom?

**Wooyoung**

No im never coming out again

Cant face it

Nope

**Hongjoong**

You mean youre never going to interact with san again?

**Wooyoung**

Never

**Hongjoong**

That promise is going to last all of five seconds and we both know it

**Wooyoung**

Im not cut out for this

**Hongjoong**

youre friends with me arent you?

**Wooyoung**

THATS NOT THE SAME

**Hongjoong**

chicken

im sending mingi to drag your ass back out here

**Wooyoung**

Nononononnononononono just give me a minute i need a minute

**Hoongjoong**

Na bitch you dragged me out, i return the favour

Plus you cant avoid him forever its not even as if he did something

He didnt did he

**Wooyoung**

No

**Hongjoong**

Great

Mingis on his way

**Wooyoung**

HE'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE

ᕕ(╯°□°)ᕗ


	14. Spilling Secrets

**NEW FRIENDS HI!!**

**Yunho**

FOR THE LAST TIME shipping judy hopps and nick wilde does nOT MAKE ME A FURRY

Zootopia is just a good movie ok

Oh

Um

Fuck this is the wrong chat isnt it

**Mingi**

……

L

**Wooyoung**

UMMMMMM  
  


**Seonghwa**

I cant even describe how much of a disappointment you are to this family

  
  


**Yeosang**

I woke up to this message yunho

This was the first thing i saw 

This is how my morning started

  
  


**San**

Wow ye yunho wtfs wrong with you 

Am i right

What a weirdo

**Yunho**

IT WAS YOU I WAS TRYING TO REPLY TO YOU LITERAL DEMON this is all your fault

**Jongho**

My.

EYES.

**Seonghwa**

Are you happy san

Youve traumatised the baby

**San**

I just love that this is suddenly my fault

**Hongjoong**

So do i 

And btw @ **Yunho**

**Yunho**

Ughhh yeah???

**Hongjoong**

Furry.

**San**

THATS WHAT IM SAYING

**Yeosang**

I really did not ever want to be a part of this conversation

**Mingi**

Dont worry yunho i get it

That tiger on the train in that one scene looks like a real good guy tbh i cant say i havent thought about it before

**Yunho**

Youre not helping my case 

This is defamation

**Yeosang**

I didnt know you knew big worlds like that yunnie

**Yunho**

blocked

**Yeosang**

wait no unblock me

**Yunho**

nice try bitch i know what youre gonna say

**Yeosang**

no you dont unblock me

**Yunho**

....unblocked

**Yeosang**

Furry.

**Yunho**

bLoCkEd

**Wooyoung**

The first conversation we have in the gc and this is what its about

Why am i not surprised

**Seonghwa**

Actually now were all here i might as well ask

I was gonna go check out that menu for the place yunho mentioned

You know, the new restaurant?

They dont have it online but i was gonna go into town anyway so 

Anyone coming with??

**Mingi**

Its a sunday no one is getting me to move today

  
  


**Seonghwa**

...I kinda need to know what you guys like to eat so i know whether to book it or not

**Wooyoung**

Can i volunteer hongjoong to go for me

**Hongjoong**

If you want to die sure go ahead

**Yunho**

Awwwwww cute our two dads doing dad stuff together

**Hongjoong**

I literally did not agree to this

**Wooyoung**

But you know what me and mingi like

**Mingi**

And im not leaving this bed until monday morning nothing is changing my mind

**Seonghwa**

It fine

If you dont want to go i guess i can just send you a picture of the menu or something

  
  


**Hongjoong**

No its fine

I dont have anything better to do today so

sure

**Seonghwa**

Ok 

Great

Jonghos already coming

No one else? I can pick you up?

**Yeosang**

I’m free

**Seonghwa**

Cool

Get dressed im on my way

  
  


* * *

Jongho and Yeosang are already in the car when Seonghwa pulls up outside Hongjoong’s house, Yeosang in the passenger seat smiling at Hongjoong waiting on the sidewalk, huge sunglasses perched on his nose, catching the light as the car comes to a stop.

Jongho pushes the back door open for Hongjoong to climb in, and he does, and then the four of them are stuck together in a confined space and Hongjoong’s only option of escaping conversation is jumping out of a moving car. He tries not to think about that.

Jongho is as quiet as usual, so Yeosang sparks up a conversation, pulling them all into it with pointed questions, not letting a silence settle for too long, teasing Seonghwa relentlessly. Seonghwa whines, but laughs with the rest of them, and by the time they get to town Hongjoong’s surprised to find he’s relaxed, no longer overly conscious of the outfit he’d thrown on that morning, whether he was talking too much or too little, and follows Seonghwa across the road towards a high, glass fronted building that must be the new restaurant.

Yeosang puts his arm through Jongho’s as they walk, and doesn’t remove it when they stop outside the doors.

“I can go inside,” Jongho offers, glancing at Seonghwa’s expression and trying to look as if he hadn’t.

“It’s fine I can do it. Stay out here in case I need you and I can bring the menus?”

They nod and he disappears inside. Yeosang and Jongho follow him with their eyes through the glass until they spot him stepping up to a staff member, and then they turn away.

Hongjoong eyes them. They look like parents who’d just dropped their kid off at kindergarten for the first time.

“Is he really that shy?” 

“Huh? Oh. Sometimes,” Yeosang shrugs. “It depends on the person. Some days he can’t order a glass of water without shaking and others he’s all _I’ve got this, children_ and gets into screaming matches in the fruit and veg aisle of grocery stores.”

Jongho sees Hongjoong’s incredulous expression and chuckles. “It was one time,” he reassures. “And very justified.”

“It was the best thing I’ve ever witnessed _._ ”

Hongjoong laughs at their matching nostalgic expressions and shakes his head. “Is it because of the voices?”

Both of them still. Jongho blinks blankly at him. “He told you about that?”

“Yeah.” Hongjoong shrugs, probably a little exaggeratedly, just to show it’s no big deal.

“It’s...a combination of things,” Yeosang sighs, unlinking his arm from Jongho’s. “He just takes to some people more than others.” Jongho stays quiet, but Yeosang studies Hongjoong’s expression and keeps talking. The look of perfect, polite interest Hongjoong had been wearing has him curious.

“Even before he hears their voices he’s like that,” he goes on. “He cuts ties quickly. If he doesn’t like you, he _really_ doesn’t like you-”

“Why do I get the sense you’re spilling all of my secrets?”

They all jump and turn to see Seonghwa behind them. Yeosang winces.

“Oops?”

Seonghwa hums and passes him a menu. Jongho accepts another, white where the first had been grey.

Hongjoong takes the grey menu from Yeosang. “Isn’t it a little early to book a restaurant?”

“My parents have a habit of inviting me places without asking,” Seonghwa sighs, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “If I don’t make plans early, there’ll be an argument.”

None of them have anything to say to that. Jongho and Yeosang seem like they’re not paying attention, but Hongjoong doesn’t notice the way they eye Seonghwa when he isn’t looking, studying his expression.

“Speaking of which,” the older boy goes on, “I actually had something to pick up this morning. Are we done here?”

Yeosang waves him away with a menu. “We’ll send a picture to the others,” he says, hitting Jongho’s stomach a few times with the back of his hand until the younger boy pulls his phone from his pocket. “Go do whatever you need to do.”

“We can meet up for lunch. Take Hongjoong with you,” Jongho adds protectively.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

Jongho sticks his tongue out at him, and Hongjoong laughs. Seonghwa sighs and turns on his heels.

“Stay here if you’d like-”

“No, it’s fine.” He beckons Seonghwa to walk ahead of him. “Lead the way.”

Don’t think about it. This is fine. You’re just alone with someone who might freak out on you at any moment and doesn’t usually lead conversations so this might be kind of awkward, but I’m sure you’ll-

“See anything you like?”

Hongjoong’s step falters as Seonghwa’s voice cuts through his thoughts, and he stumbles to cover it up. “What?”

Seonghwa gives him a strange look, and points over his shoulder to the restaurant they’re walking away from. “On the menu.”

“Oh. Yeah, it’s fine. I’m not picky.”

He can’t help but glance at Seonghwa as he speaks, looking for a sign of the same dazed, short-circuiting look he’d brought out in him before, but if Seonghwa feels anything about his voice now they’re out in the open, he doesn’t show it.

“San’s like that,” Seonghwa says, out of the blue. “He’ll eat anything.”

Here it is- the opportunity Hongjoong had been hoping for when he’d agreed to running this errand. Seonghwa winces, as if he’s just realised what he’s said could be taken very literally, and Hongjoong jumps in before he can take anything back.

“About that.” Seonghwa winces, and Hongjoong tries to feel guilty. It doesn’t really work. “At the risk of you thinking badly of us, I should probably admit that there’s...a bet, going on, about San.”

“San?”

“About what he is. I had a hunch, is all, and Wooyoung and Mingi didn’t think I knew, and then they started guessing.”

“This is all just...harmless fun, right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright, then. San isn’t usually the secretive type. What was your guess?”

“Incubus.”

The shock that registers on Seonghwa’s face is answer enough. Hongjoong laughs quietly.

“I’m right, amn’t I?”

Seonghwa nods, slowly, still looking surprised. “It’s obvious once you know,, but...most people don’t guess it first time.” His eyes narrow- he turns to study Hongjoong’s expression. “Wait. You’re not-”

“No,” Hongjoong says quickly. “Jesus, no, I’m not.”

“Oh. Alright.”

He can’t read Seonghwa’s expression. Before the older boy can ask any other questions, he says, “I guess that means I won the wager.”

The alpha humms a laugh. “What did you bet on?”

“Oh,” Hongjoong chuckles, “no. Be friends with a goblin for long, and you’ll realise pretty quick you should never actually make a _real_ bet with them. We only gamble on pride, now.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“You will? You don’t seem like the gambling type.”

“Ahaha, no. No, you’re right, I don’t do that kind of thing.”

There’s an awkward moment of silence as Seonghwa fiddles with his bracelet and Hongjoong pretends not to watch him from the corner of his eye.

“I’ve never met an incubus before,” Hongjoong says suddenly. It’d been the first thing he could think of, and he cringes as soon as it leaves his mouth, but there’s no taking it back.

“They aren’t something you’d see every day,” Seonghwa agrees, latching onto any topic of conversation that’d take the awkward silence away. “I hope you don’t...look down on him for-”

“You don’t need to stand up for him,” Hongjoong interrupts. “It’s- that’s not what I was thinking. It’s fine.”

Seonghwa glances at him quickly, and then looks away. “People react two ways to San. I don’t think you’re the kind to...approve.”

Not entirely certain he’s wrong, Hongjoong shakes his head. “I just don’t make friends easy.”

He’d explain that he’s just feeling protective, but that means spilling Wooyoung’s secret, and regardless of how obvious Hongjoong thinks it is, he isn’t sure whether the others have noticed, and if he points it out Wooyoung would sulk for months.

Seonghwa considers this. It isn’t surprising, given Hongjoong’s usual quiet, slightly gruff manner, but at the same time, he isn’t exactly the best judge of character. Maybe awkward silence would have been better. Every word Hongjoong says makes him more nervous. Still, as conscious as he is of every movement of Hongjoong’s, every glance, he can’t resist the urge to defend one of his own. 

“Neither does San.” Hongjoong laughs as if he knows what he’s doing. “He had to argue for weeks to be accepted into the dance department.”

Dark eyes lift from the granite to search his expression. “Really?”

Seonghwa nods. “Even if they like him, people don’t trust him.”

It’s obvious he’s talking about Hongjoong, subtly trying to win him over. It’s annoying that it’s working. Hongjoong had gone through the same thing trying to get into the music department. Even with the meetings and arguments and promises he’d made, Mingi’s family had ended up having to pull a few strings before anyone would let him anywhere near a microphone.

Fuck it. If he can’t tell Seonghwa, he can’t tell anyone.

“I’m just feeling protective, is all.”

Immediately, some of the tension seeps from the air. “Ah. This is about Wooyoung, isn’t it?”

“You knew?” Seonghwa nods, hesitantly, and Hongjoong feels a weight lifting from his shoulders. At least there’s someone he doesn’t need to tiptoe around, and if Seonghwa had already noticed Wooyoung’s reactions to San, he can’t be blamed for letting the secret slip.

“Huh. You can sense that kind of thing, can you?” Hongjoong doesn’t know why the idea makes him nervous, but it does.

“Sometimes,” Seonghwa shrugs. “I’m not as good at it as San, but he tries to shut that part of himself off when he can. He thinks it’s intrusive.”

“And you? How do you do it?”

“A mixture of alpha instinct and my own...thing.” Seonghwa wrings his hands, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“Right.”

Hongjoong doesn’t know what to say. Seonghwa changes the conversation as quickly as possible.

“So. Wooyoung’s a goblin?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty open about it, too.”

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like when he was friends with Yeosang,” Seonghwa says, amused. Hongjoong knows he’s missing a joke somewhere, with his lack of Yeosang knowledge, but he knows enough to understand the two must have been troublemakers, and he laughs, too.

“He’s a little reckless, sometimes, but he means well. Some goblins take things a little too far, you know, but he’s...he tries not to do that, for Mingi and I’s sake.”

Seonghwa’s steps halt outside a shop with a dark wood front, and he gives Hongjoong a shy, rueful smile. “I need to-” he gestures towards the store front with an open palm, trailing off. Hongjoong nods.

“I’ll wait outside.”

As soon as Seonghwa’s gone, he pulls out his phone, seeing the reflection of his smug smile before the chat pulls up and lights his screen.

  
  
  
  


* * *

**The Three Buccaneers**

**Cap**

Eat shit bitches he doesnt like me

**SharkBait**

Why am i treated in this way

**QuarterMaster**

What makes you so sure joong

You sure its not 

denial?

**Cap**

Oh i dont know

Maybe the fact that he keeps asking about wooyoung every two seconds

**QuarterMaster**

Me?? Seonghwas asking about me??

Well i must admit i didnt see that coming 

**Cap**

Not that way, moron

More like

For someone else

Like a protective dad or something

**SharkBait**

You mean like you do 

  
  


**Cap**

What

I dont do that

**SharkBait**

Can you tell me truthfully that the reason youre talking about san with seonghwa is anything other than you trying to get details on woos crush in case you need to step in

**Cap**

Alright you little bastard yes thats exactly what happened

He seems to approve of you woo if you care

**QuarterMaster**

In a strange way i kind of do thanx

But WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SAN WITH SEONGHWA YOURE GONNA MAKE IT SO OBVIOUS 

**Cap**

He already knew woo youre not subtle

Plus what else am i supposed to talk about with him

**QuarterMaster**

I can think of a few things

**Cap**

Keep them to yourself goblin boy

  
  
  


* * *

**HwaHwa's Hitlist (+jongho)**

**MamaBird**

He keeps mentioning you, san

Ready to admit defeat yet?

**Sin**

Why are you on your phone arent you with him right now

**MamaBird**

Hes waiting outside i can see him on his phone through the glass

And hes been there a while now so hes probably texting about how awkward this is 

**BossBaby**

_Is_ it awkward?

Should we come save you?

**BigBird**

Dont you dare

**MamaBird**

I dont need saving its fine

This is going well, considering how obvious it is now that SAN IS THE ONE THEY LIKED

**Sin**

This isnt over until somebody confesses, alpha

**MamaBird**

hongjoong as good as admitted it san

why else would he bring you up and talk about wooyoung with me

**Sin**

um i dont know

diversion? just to talk to you about something?

i could keep going

**MamaBird**

don't.


	15. Hypnosis

Yeosang looks up from his phone to see Jongho blinking at him from the other side of a clothes rack. 

“Oh. Sorry.”

Jongho shakes his head, smiling an amused kind of grin that makes Yeosang very conscious of the fact that he’d just been spacing out staring at his phone screen when they were supposed to be shopping.

“It’s alright. What were you thinking about?”

Yeosang shoves his phone into his back pocket and goes back to pursuing the hangers of jackets he’d stopped at. “Just…this bet with San and Seonghwa.”

“What about it?”

“It just seems strange, doesn’t it? Does San really not notice the way Wooyoung is around him?”

Jongho frowns slightly. “How is that?”

“It depends. Some days he’s quieter than usual, others he acts out. Like he can’t decide whether he wants San to notice or ignore him.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

Yeosang laughs. “Of course _you_ didn’t, jongie, but San kind of has a superpower about this, doesn’t he? He can always tell what people are thinking about him.”

It stings more than it should, to hear Yeosang dismissing his ability to see that kind of thing, like he's still a kid, but Jongho doesn't agrue. He smothers the ridiculous offended feeling down in favour of trying to catch up to something everyone else has apparently noticed before him. “So you think he just doesn’t want to admit it?”

“Partly," Yeosang nods.

“What’s the other part?”

A thoughtful hum tells him Yeosang isn't as certain of this part, but it's only a moment later that Yeosang's saying, “It must not just be Wooyoung that likes someone. San probably wants Seonghwa to admit that Hongjoong likes him, too.”

“Why’d he want that?”

Giving him an indulgent smile, Yeosang explains slowly- “Because Seonghwa likes Hongjoong.”

Jongho blinks. “He does?”

Yeosang giggles and squeezes his cheek. “You’re too cute sometimes, Jongho.”

Jongho whines and pushes his hand away, but he flushes, and only succeeds in making Yeosang laugh harder.

“Are we done here?” Jongho huffs.

Yeosang tips his head. “Hungry?”

“No," Jongho says immediately. Sensing Yeosang is about to argue, he continues- "We’re supposed to get a table for the four of us before the cafés fill up, though.”

“Fine,” Yeosang sighs, stepping away from a shoe display with a small pout.

He walks out of the store before Jongho, knowing the younger boy will have no thoughts on where to meet the others for lunch, feeling him follow along silently as Yeosang picks out a café front and peers in the window.

“Here?”

Jongho shrugs, just as Yeosang knows he will, so they find a table by the window and send a quick text to Seonghwa, telling him where they are.

“Are you going to get something?” Yeosang asks.

Jongho’s stomach twists unpleasantly. Recently, Yeosang had taken to asking these kinds of questions more and more frequently, more firm than the rest of their friends when Jongho says no. 

“I’m not hungry.”

Yeosang raises a sceptical brow. “Your eyes are getting really light, Jongho.”

Jongho looks away, cursing silently. If Seonghwa were here he wouldn’t be in trouble, one warning tap to Yeosang’s knee under the table enough for the subject to drop, but it’s just the two of them, and the café is half-empty around their table, most of the people sitting further in away from the windows.

“I’ll get something later,” Jongho promises, without meaning it. 

Yeosang sighs. He eyes Jongho out of the corner of his eye, seeing the light, almost sandy brown of his irises that are usually closer to the colour of black coffee, and then slaps a hand against the tabletop in front of Jongho, startling him. As his hand lifts into the air again it reveals a familiar grey flask, steaming, that hadn’t been there before.

Jongho grabs it and shoved it out of sight under the table, gaze flying around the café to see if anyone had noticed. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you eat,” Yeosang says, rolling his eyes. “You won’t order here, so-” he gestures to the flask with both hands, as if to say _voila._ “It’s just from San’s fridge, Jongho, you can stop freaking out. I didn’t steal it.”

“It’s warm.”

Yeosang shrugs. “You don’t like it cold,” he says, as if that explains everything.

“Yeosang-”

“Just drink it, would you? I don’t know why you’d just let yourself be hungry if there’s food right in front of you.”

 _Food._ Can it even be called that?

Jongho uncaps the flask and sees the familiar red-brown liquid inside. His stomach growls at the sight of it, and the steam wafts a pleasant scent under his nose. More than anything, though, it's the hopeful glare Yeosang is giving him that finally eats away at his resolve. He takes a sip, and Yeosang squeezes his knee as if in encouragement. There’s a pleased smile on his face that almost makes Jongho laugh despite his gloomy mood.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m not the one starving himself just because some idiots might find it a little icky that he drinks-”

“I’m not _starving_ myself,” Jongho protests.

“No,” Yeosang grins. He pushes the flask back up to Jongho’s face. “Not anymore.”

_Dammit. Why is it so hard to stay angry with him?_

Seonghwa steps through the door just as Jongho takes his second gulp, Hongjoong behind him, and tries to smother a look of surprise as he sees the flask in Jongho’s hand. His eyes flicker quickly to Yeosang, and he dips his head to hide a smile.

“You’re not eating?” he asks, seeing the empty spot on the table before Yeosang.

“As if,” the younger boy scoffs. “I was just waiting for you.”

He slides out of his chair and up to Seonghwa’s side, who starts towards the counter and then turns to look over his shoulder, remembering there’s one more person tagging along. “Would you like something?”

“Just whatever you’re getting,” Hongjoong says to Yeosang, trusting his taste more, and they both nod and leave him at the table with Jongho.

They haven’t been alone together before, but as soon as Hongjoong sits a deliberate, easy silence settles over, and he’s grateful for it. It’s not as if Jongho seems difficult to figure out, not really that he’s awkward or secretive. Hongjoong thinks they share a particular brand of introversion that means neither of them feel the need to speak when they have nothing to say, and it makes him feel at ease, until the others return, and a coffee and cupcake is placed down in front of him.

“It’s gingerbread,” Yeosang says happily, picking at an identical cake, and Hongjoong thanks him and accepts it.

Seongwha takes the seat next to Hongjoong and clears his throat. “Have you spoken to the others?”

Jongho answers. “We did, but Yunho said he was too tired.”

“San?”

“Studying.”

There’s a moment where the three of them share glances that Hongjoong can’t decipher, and Yeosang rolls his eyes.

He frowns. “Is that something he does often?” 

Somehow, it doesn’t match up with the immoral, debauched image of San he’d painted in his head.

“He’s insufferable,” Yeosang says, nodding.

“What is there to study? Classes have practically just started.”

“We should go distract him,” Yeosang says, a small, wicked smile on his lips. Hongjoong is suddenly reminded of Wooyoung, and about the thing Seonghwa had just told him- _I can’t imagine what it must have been like when he was friends with Yeosang_.

Huh.

“Leave him be,” Seonghwa sighs. “If he’s still like this tomorrow, _then_ you can go disrupt him.”

Little do they know, though, that somewhere across town, there’re already a distraction in San’s room, in the form of a small, bed-haired boy who’d invited himself over and is now trying very hard not to fall asleep at San’s desk.

San had been curious, and a little impressed, when he’d opened the door to see Wooyoung standing on his doorstep, a flasks in each hand and a wearing an eager grin, trying very hard not to look nervous. He’d let him into the study and accepted one of the teas, mainly wondering what had made Wooyoung so bold as to seek him out when he was alone, partly grateful for whatever distraction presents itself.

Wooyung had spun around in the spare desk chair for a while, finished his tea, and then glanced up at the sea of textbooks San had been pouring over with somewhere between a grimace and an interested pout.

“Isn’t it kind of early to be studying?” he asks. San can’t tell whether he’s referring to it being the start of the semester or the early hour, so he just shrugs.

“I like to get ahead when I can.”

Wooyoung rubs at his eyes. The bedhead he’d tried to smother down when San had pointed it out is still noticeable at the back of his head, and his words are slightly slurred. It’s obvious he would usually still be asleep at this hour, and San smirks as he watches the other boy fight to keep his eyes open in the partial dimness of the study, boredom and a bellyful of hot tea overriding his efforts to stay awake.

“That doesn’t look like dance theory,” he says, taking his hands away from his eyes and squinting at the book San had been highlighting.

“It’s not, it’s business.”

“What? Why would you have a business textbook?”

San almost doesn’t answer, but then he wonders what it’d take to scare Wooyoung away, and offering a glimpse into the never ending ambition that’s currently driving him crazy seems like a good place to start, so he relents. “I take night classes.”

“You take dance classes in the day and business at night?” San nods, and Wooyoung’s mouth drops open. He closes it quickly, self-consciously, and San chuckles. “When do you sleep?”

San shakes his head. “I don’t,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“O-Oh.”

There's a moment of silence, when San becomes a little too aware of the fatigue dragging the other boy down, and realises that perhaps he'd been too quick to laugh. Now, as Wooyoung blinks and glances everywhere around the room to avoid his eye, San feels a familiar emptiness in the pit of his stomach, and frowns.

“Why’re you here, Wooyoung?”

His voice must have been less nonchalant than he'd meant it, because Wooyoung winces like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. “I was talking to Yunho and he said you were working, so, I thought you could use some help-” he tries to stifle a yawn and fails, turning away with a hand over his mouth. “And tea,” he adds, waving his empty cup.

“Thank you for the tea,” San laughs. It's a nervous sound, too shaky. Wooyoung doesn't seem to notice. “But you’re tired. Maybe you should just go back to bed.”

“What if you want someone to run flashcards with you later or something?,” Wooyoung asks, stretching his arms over his head. When San doesn’t reply, he stacks a few textbooks on top of each other to make room at his side of the desk and folds his arms on top of the table. “I can sleep anywhere.”

San watches him for a moment as his head drops onto his arms, his eyes closing slowly. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he says quietly.

Wooyoung looks up at him. “What?”

The raven haired boy raises a brow. Something dark swirls in his eyes, and Wooyoung sits up, suddenly.

“Oh. Oh, god, I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s not like that,” San says, knowing the reason for Wooyoung’s stuttering. “I wouldn’t do anything.” Wooyoung flushes at his bluntness, and he hurries on. “It’s just...your dreams. I don’t want to intrude, but-” his eyes flicker again, and Wooyoung nods, seeming to understand.

“I get it. I didn’t mean to- I’m sorry,” he repeats. 

“Don’t be.” His stomach twists, not just with hunger, but San pulls up a grin, pleased at the flush of pink on Wooyoung’s cheeks.

“I can go,” Wooyoung offers, suddenly wide-eyed, his exhaustion forgotten.

“I think that’s for the best,” San agrees, still grinning. Wooyoung’s eyes flicker over his face, and then he stands suddenly.

“I’ll um...I’ll see you-at school.”

Only when he’s out of the house does San groan and slump onto his desk, closing his eyes, feeling the coolness of the wood beneath his forehead. He fishes out his phone and sends a quick message.

* * *

**HwaHwa's Hit List (+jongho)**

**Sin**

Yunho wtf is wrong with you

**BigBird**

???

Im gonna need more context theres so many possible answers to that question

**Sin**

Wooyoung showed up and my place???

**BigBird**

Oh

Oh fuck

...my bad

**Sin**

WHATHEFUCKISWRONGWITHYOU

**MamaBird**

Wow wow whats happening

Dyou need us to come over?

**Sin**

So long as you dont bring yunho with you 

**BigBird**

I didnt know hed show up!!!!

**Sin**

Dont talk to me

  
  
  


* * *

Being so naturally competitive, it isn’t entirely out of character for San to get so invested in his classes, but studying this soon into their first semester has to be a new personal record. Seonghwa knows there must be something else going on. When he’s hungry, San’ll do anything to distract himself, burying himself in textbooks and tests because they’re easier to understand than the ravenous pit in a stomach full off food.

It’s not as if they haven’t been here before. But even Seonghwa’s surprised when they trail down the steps to San’s basement and see their friend’s face. San’s eyes are so dark they don’t even shine in the fluorescence, as if they're dark enough to absorb the light, and the normal gold sheen of his skin has deepened, too. He looks like someone stripped straight out of a painting, clear skin and fathomless eyes, and Seonghwa can see the others blinking at him, too, spotting the differences. 

“You look rough,” Yeosang says, voice dripping sarcasm.

San scowls. “You’re hilarious.”

“What happened?”

They take their usual spots on the sofa, Seonghwa feeling very happy he’d had the foresight to drop Hongjoong off at home, painfully aware of Yunho’s absence. He knows San isn’t actually mad- he’s not the kind to hold grudges so easily. As soon as he’s ate he'll calm himself down and they’ll go back to normal, but still, it’s weird being part of a group that isn’t quite whole.

“Wooyoung showed up and almost fell asleep on my desk.”

“ _That’s_ what’s got you so-” Yeosang waves a hand through the air as if gesturing to all of San.

“I was already hungry, OK? I was trying to distract myself until tonight, but then he just _had_ to show up-”

Seonghwa cuts off his rambling before it can get any louder, eager to get this over with. “Are you still hungry?”

“Starving,” San groans. “Anybody just dying to take a nap?”

“It’s the middle of the day, San.”

“Fine. Anyone feeling incredibly charitable?”

Seonghwa clears his throat nervously. “I could-”

“ _Not_ you, Seonghwa, _christ,_ that’s not what I need right now. If I have to taste voices or hear numbers again I’ll puke out of my eyeballs.”

Yeosang scrunches up his nose. “What a visual.”

San’s dark eyes slide over to him. “What about you, Sangie?” he asks sweetly. “Want to help a friend in need?”

They all know Yeosang’s answer before he even starts shaking his head. Though Yunho, and the others when they’re asked, are open to a few late night visits from San when he needs to replenish his energy, Yeosang had been adamant from the beginning that his dreams weren’t to be preyed upon. San had been asking endlessly, but if anything Yeosang had gotten even more stubborn recently.

“Stay out of my dreams, San.”

Jongho sighs when dark eyes swivel to his face. Yunho is apparently out of the picture until San gets over their little feud, and Seonghwa has already offered and been rejected. Though he’s as curious as the rest of them about Yeosang’s stubborn refusals, he knows pushing it won’t do any good. “I guess that leaves me, then.”

San smirks and wraps his arms around Jongho’s shoulders. “Must be my lucky day,” he lilts, and Jongho huffs and shoves him away.

“But I’m not tired,” he says, trying to make it sound nonchalant and unbothered and a reasonable excuse to get out of this when San already seems to have made up his mind.

“Well,” the incubus says primly, “I just so happen to know someone who could help you with that.”

He’s not talking about himself- though it’s within his skill set, he hadn’t exactly had the opportunities to practice putting anyone to sleep, and San’s just as hesitant at trusting himself with something so tricky as the rest of them are.

Yeosang scowls. “I’m not doing it.”

“You’ve done it before,” San shrugs. “What’s the big deal?”

“I’ve done it to _Seonghwa,_ ” Yeosang argues. “Because he asked me to help him sleep, not so you could have a light snack in the middle of the day-”

“It’s alright, Sang.” Jongho’s voice is quiet, but it draws the other boy’s attention easily just the same. “I don’t mind.”

Yeosang carefully studies the younger boy’s expression. There’s a silence so heavy it seems as if everyone in the room is holding their breath, before he asks, hesitantly, “Are you sure?”

With a breathy laugh, as if he doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about, Jongho nods.

“Sure. Like San said, you’ve did it before.”

 _Not to you,_ Yeosang thinks, and then shakes himself. It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t.

They watch Jongho settle into a couch by himself and San drops onto the carpet, cross legged by Jonho’s head with one hand lightly touching the exposed skin at Jonho’s wrist.

“You’re sure?” Yeosang asks again, and San glares up at him.

Jongho nods. “I’m sure, Sang. Just get on with it.”

Yeosang shakes out his hands and perches on the sofa by Jongho’s waist. He takes a steadying breath that does nothing to calm the nervous trembling of his fingers, and then cups his hands together. He holds them up over Jongho’s head, level with his eyes, and parts them slightly, so the younger boy can see the flicker of calm blue fire between his fingers.

Jongho squints, but after a moment adjusting to the light, he focuses his attention on the centre of the blaze, already feeling it lull him into a calm quiet. Yeosang’s staring down at him, but he focusses on the fire, and soon feels it clear his mind into blankness. It’s a strange feeling, to be aware of nothing but the sapphire flames, but at the same time he’s hardly aware of when the feeling begins. Soon, there’s nothing but him and the flame, and he doesn’t notice the tiredness it’s stirring up in him until his eyes are slipping shut, and darkness swallows him.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait guys!! i made this chapter extra long to try to make up for it 😅 😅


	16. Questions, Motives

Yeosang watches Jongho’s eyes slide shut slowly and lowers his hands. 

San, from the floor, sighs and leans his head back against the edge of the sofa.

“Thank you,” he says quietly, and Yeosang stands up, suddenly, smothering the annoyance that he knows San doesn't really deserve. 

He moves to the other sofa, where Seonghwa has settled, and turns on the TV. Now San’s with him, Jongho won’t wake until San releases him, and San won’t speak, now caught up in a dream Jongho will only vaguely remember when he wakes. Parts of it will be missing, pockets of darkness his mind will puzzle over and turn up blanks, but they’re used to that by now. All of them but Yeosang, that is.

He stays behind, when Seonghwa decides to check on Yunho and leaves the three of them in the basement, Jongho’s eyes still closed, his irises moving behind his eyelids the only sign of movement as he dreams, San sitting calmly under him. Yeosang wonders what dream they’re sharing.

He knows he shouldn’t be so private. None of the others are sensitive enough to refuse San when he’s hungry, because he never asks for much, and he holds in his hunger so long that it’s only once in a while that they find the usual blank spots in the memories of their dreams. He always asks, and they always say yes. Yeosang is the only one to say no, and even knowing his own reasons it feels selfish, and a little petty, to shut San out like this. It's just a dream. It shouldn't be such a big deal.

A guilty feeling runs through him as he watches them, neither of them moving an inch.

They’d all agreed to the rules of San’s late night snacking: no mention of the dreams he’d saw, no matter how nonsensical and unimportant they seemed to him, no surprise visits during the night. He’d always stuck to them. There’s really no danger of what he’s worried about ever actually happening.

But he still feels the same, as he watches them. The same old question comes to mind- how can they let someone in so easily? Maybe Jongho just has nothing to hide. Maybe it’s only Yeosang that has things he’d rather San not see.

It’s an unwelcome thought, and he forces himself to focus on something else. If he concentrate, he can bring back the sapphire-coloured flame he’d used to put Jongho to sleep, and he passes it idly from one palm to the other, willing it to calm him, too, even though he knows it won't work on himself.

The light the flame casts is dim, but San senses it from across the room, and one of his eyes opens, catching the blue glow. He eyes Yeosang quietly, probably too focused on his meal to want to form a coherent sentence, but his expression clearly holds a question. Yeosang shakes his head, smiling, and the flame dies out. _I’m fine_ , he says silently, and San closes his eyes again.

The silence is suffocating, though, and Yeosang finds himself unable to stand it. He shuffles forward onto the edge of the sofa.

“What’s he dreaming about?” 

San’s eyes open instantly. He studies Yeosang as if thinking he’d heard wrong, but when Yeosang doesn’t say anything, he shakes his head.

“You know I can’t tell you that, Sang.”

Of course he knows. Even the question feels like a betrayal, and he knows he’s being a hypocrite, too closed off to let San into his mind, wanting to know what he finds in Jongho’s.

“You’re right. Forget I asked.”

San readjusts on the carpet so his knees are pulled up to his chest, suddenly looking smaller. “Is something wrong?”

“Everything’s fine.”

It’s not convincing, and San’s head drops to one side as he ponders Yeosang’s sudden questions. Gently, he asks, “What do you want me to see, Yeosang?”

Something in his tone is pointed, as if he already knows the answer. Yeosang supposes he must. It probably doesn’t take an incubus to pick up on Yeosang’s feelings. No matter how much he’d wanted to hide them, at the same time, a part of him had wanted them to be known, to have them out in the open. He’d let himself push Jongho, thinking maybe the uncharacteristic care he’d shown for him might somehow translate into the thing he’s too afraid to say, but so far...it seems the only person he hadn’t wanted to know is the only one who knows.

“I just wanted to know if...whether he likes…”

"You?" San offers, frowning. "If he likes you?"

"No!" Yeosang screeches. Jongho doesn't stir, though the volume definitely would have woken him, if he was sleeping normally, and Yeosang winces. He hadn't meant that, hadn't been looking for himself _specifically._ He knows that's too much to ask for.

“Then what?" San asks, looking unconvinced. "Men?” Yeosang flushes, which is answer enough, even as he holds his tongue. San feels like they're standing on the edge of something, and choses his words carefully, trying to level his tone into something neutral. “I think that’s something you should ask him yourself, Yeosang.”

Yeosang gives him a pitiful look and gnaws at his lip. "You know, don't you? Whether...whether it's mutual."

There's no use in denying it- San nods. "I know."

"But you won't tell me," Yeosang says.

"Would you want me to tell _him_?"

"Maybe." _So I wouldn't need to._

San raises a brow. "Really?"

Just the thought of it has Yeosang groaning and covering his face. "Alright. No." The pearl at his neck is cool as it always is under his touch, and he twists the chain around and around, fidgeting, unable to stop himself, full of nervous energy. “It was dumb. Forget I asked.”

"Really, I'm not the person you should be asking."

“I know, OK, can we please drop it? I shouldn't have asked.”

For a beat or two of silence, it looks like San’s about to argue, to drag the conversation on, but he relents. “Alright,” he sighs, his head dropping back against the sofa again. “I won’t… I won’t tell the others.”

Yeosang’s too embarrassed to even thank him- he can feel the heat of his flushed cheeks against his palms, his face burning with shame. 

_Change the subject, Yeosang_.

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm?” San sits up, surprised, and Yeosang wonders whether he should just leave him be, but then his curiosity get the better of him, and he repeats his question. San’s expression closes over, even as he nods.

“Everything’s fine,” he says, but he’s copying Yeosang’s earlier words back to him on purpose, just as unconvincing, the start of a sly, knowing smile on his lips. 

“This is really about Wooyoung?”

“I don’t know, Yeosang. I guess it’d just been too long since I ate, and he surprised me, showing up here all tired, two seconds away from falling asleep on my desk.”

Yeosang laughs and gestures vaguely to where San is slumped on the carpet. “Isn’t this kind of a drastic reaction? Even for you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” San breathes, his tone amusedly self-deprecating as he waves the teasing away. “Both of us are ridiculous. Does that make you feel better?”

“Not really.”

San smiles lazily and takes his hand from Jongho’s. “Me neither.”

Immediately, Jongho’s breathing shallows, and he starts to stir. Both of them watch as he turns, sighing once more before his eyes flutter open.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” San sings at him, and Jongho groans and buries his face in the sofa. 

“That was fast,” he mumbles, sleep still heavy in his voice. “Are you sure that’s enough?”

“I’ll be fine until tonight at least. Yunho can pay me back then.”

They both laugh at the sincere petulance of his voice, and Jongho sits, rubbing at his tired eyes.

“You know,” he starts, in a tone so suspicious it makes both of them peer at him curiously, “someone pointed out to me that it’s strange of you to go along with this bet you and Seonghwa have.”

San blinks up at him, his expression unchanging. “Strange how?”

“Strange as in, _why would an incubus not realise who actually likes who_? Strange as in, _maybe he knows it was both of them all along and has another reason for making the bet_.”

San looks between them with narrowed eyes. It sounds more like something Yeosang would think than Jongho, and when Yeosang sees him looking back at him, he smiles, as if he knows it's obvious, too.

“Are you two conspiring against me or something?” San asks.

They share a secretive look that makes Yeosang laugh- Jongho shrugs noncommittally.

“Maybe,” he mumbles. Yeosang shouldn’t feel as pleased as he does, to share a joke, to be on the same side of a conspiracy theory, but he can’t help the happy feeling that settles over him.

“Just admit it.” San looks up at him with a raised brow, already stubborn. “You know Wooyoung likes you, you just didn’t want to admit it.”

“I can admit it very easily,” San shrugs.

“You-what?" Jongho's slightly smug expression has been shocked into blankness. "Then what’s the bet about?”

“Needed something to bait Seonghwa with. Obviously he’s right, it was Wooyoung, so I knew he’d take the bait. Otherwise he’d never get closer to Hongjoong.”

Yeosang frowns- though it's as he'd expected, it still feels strange to hear his theory confirmed, and realise there was nothing else he wasn't seeing. “So this whole bet is just you trying to set Seonghwa up?”

“Pretty much," San says.

Yeosang sighs. “That’s...that’s so dumb, San.”

“How’re you both so sure Hongjoong likes him?” Jongho asks, feeling out of his depth.

Both of them just laugh at him.

“Seonghwa’s _oblivious_ sometimes," San says, rolling his eyes. "This way he’ll have to get closer to Hongjoong to prove Wooyoung likes me, and inevitably he’ll see for himself that Hongjoong has a little too much interest in him as well, and he won’t be able to deny it.”

“But Seonghwa’s too clever not to know about your matchmaker abilities,” Yeosang points out. “You’ve been teasing him about that poor delivery boy for months.”

“So?”

“So surely Seonghwa knows that if you think Hongjoong likes him, Hongjoong _must_ like him. You’re not wrong about these things. And he must know that you also know Wooyoung likes _you._ So why’d he still accept the bet?”

“Denial?” Jongho offers. San nods, and Yeosang regrets ever becoming his friend.

“So you’re both in denial. Basically this bet is ‘who’ll admit he was in denial first’.”

San frowns. “I...I guess.”

“You see where we’re coming from? It’s completely pointless, San. This just means you can’t make a move cause then Seonghwa’d be able to prove Wooyoung likes you by his reaction.”

There's a moment of silence as they all realise he's right.

“When you put it like that…” San spaces out for a moment, and then comes back to himself, sighing and collapsing back against the sofa. “Dammit, Yeosang, do you have to be so damn smart all the time? Could you not just have rooted for me so Seonghwa can get his head out of his ass?”

Yeosang fixes him with a look that could shrivel roses. “He’s not the only one who needs to, San. Wooyoung’s my friend too, you know. And I know you wouldn’t have reacted like this if you didn’t like him back, so all this bet is doing is denying him a chance to be with someone he _clearly_ likes because if that person were to make his move _like he should_ he’d be losing a dumb bet with absolutely no meaning!”

“Alright, Yeosang, Jesus! I’m sorry!”

“Wooyoung doesn’t deserve to be left waiting just so you can prove you’re smarter than Seonghwa, OK? Why couldn't you both just try to set each other up without this dumb wager?”

San blinks at him, his mouth hanging slightly open, and Jongho, beside him, is wearing a matching surprised expression.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t know!”

They stare at him, the silence ringing a stark contrast to the sound of his high-pitched voice, and then Jongho breaks into a grin, and starts to laugh. Yeosang slumps, as San joins in, and soon he’s unable to fight a breathy giggle, too, the tension in the air snapping.

  
  
  
  



	17. Forfeit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cap: hongjoong  
> quartermaster: wooyoung  
> sharkbait: mingi
> 
> mamabird: seonghwa  
> bigbird: yunho  
> sin: san  
> bossbaby: jongho  
> skaterboi:yeosang

**HwaHwa's Hit List (+jongho)**

**MamaBird**

So

**BigBird**

DONT SAY ANYTHING OH MY GOD  
  


**MamaBird**

I-

I WASNT GOING TO

I SAID NOTHING  
  


**Sin**

Well this isnt highly suspect or anything

**SkaterBoi**

Whtd yunho do

**BigBird**

YOU MADE IT WEIRD SEONGHWA

**MamaBird**  
THE ONLY ONE MAKING THIS WEIRD IS YOU

I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO MY FRIENDS 

I WASNT GOING TO MENTION IT

**Sin**

So there IS something we dont know

**SkaterBoi**

Spillspillspillspill

**BossBaby**

Whats...whats going on guys

**BigBird**

Nothing everythings normal

**MamaBird**

I WALKED IN ON YUNHO AND MINGI KISSING IT WAS GROSS  
  


**BigBird**

WHAT THE HELL SEONGHWA  
YOU SAID YOU WERENT GOING TO TELL THEM

**MamaBird**

I wasnt but then you started yelling at me!!!!

And yeosang would have gotten it out of one of us eventually!!!!

**SkaterBoi**

Hes right

**BigBird**

I KNOW HE IS SANG JUST LET ME BE ANNOYED

**Sin**

Wow yunho

Just wow

That was fast

**BigBird**

You got something to say about

**Sin**

Ye congrats man

Get it

Im proud of you

**BigBird**

I think id rather you just not say anything

**BossBaby**

When did this all go down??? I didnt even know you liked him

**BigBird**

He kinda mentioned liking zootopia after san exposed me in the group chat and i said we should watch it together so

**Sin**

Noice

**SkaterBoi**

Right in front of judy hopps??

Is nothing sacred?

**MamaBird**

Its nice to know that everyone rejected spending the weekend with me looking at a restaurant for yunhos birthday in favour of sucking face thats just great

Wooyoung wanted to see san

Yunho and mingi hung out

Only jongho loves me

**SkaterBoi**

I think youre OK sometimes

**MamaBird**

At this point i guess i should just take that

**Sin**

Dont be so dramatic seong i have good news

**BossBaby**

Like ‘good news’ good news, or _you_ good news

**Sin**

I do not know what that means

Plus you already know the news you told me the news

**BossBaby**

I did?

**Sin**

Well i mean im pretty sure it was yeosang really 

**MamaBird**

I cant take any more of this san out with it already

**Sin**

Right, well

Its been pointed out to me how dumb our wager is and im forfeiting

You win

Yay for you

  
  


**BigBird**

wHAT

**MamaBird**

......

I must be misunderstanding something

**Sin**

Yeosang was his usual insufferably clever self and pointed out that we both know who likes who and making a bet just to get each other to stop being so in denial or whatever is a waste of time i could be spending Getting My Man (my words, not sangs) and so im calling off the bet

**BigBird**

what is going on

Am i dreaming this

**Sin**

No yunho, youre not dreaming this

**BigBird**

Thank you, that was a genuine question

Also what the fuck

**MamaBird**

Ye im going to need more context too

**Sin**

Ok

Im an incubus

I know it was wooyung who wanted to get to know us, and i know it was because of me

Theres no way i couldnt have known that all along

And you know i knew 

Which is why you really made the bet, right 

**MamaBird**

Um

Yes

**Sin**

So id get my head out of my ass and just admit it was wooyoung and that scares me because i like him too this time and i dont want to just fool around

**BigBird**

You dont?

**Sin**

No

**BossBaby**

…..is san being serious right now? I didnt think serious san existed

**MamaBird**

So i was right 

You like him

**Sin**

Ye 

Ye sure you were right

**SkaterBoi**

Congratulations 

I still think youre both idiots

**Sin**

We know, yeosang

**MamaBird**

So i win

Just like that

**Sin**

Yup

**MamaBird**

Not like i dont appreciate this new mature version of you, san, but

Why are you doing this this doesnt seem like you

**Sin**

Because withOUT this dumb bet, i get to do some wooing

Let the wooing commence

Woopee

**BigBird**

Are we sure youre an incubus

**BossBaby**

Yeah he does say some things that make me question it sometimes

**Sin**

I cant be irresistible all the time

  
  


**SkaterBoi**

Seen as you called seong the winner that means youre accepting the penalty right???

One fancy meal courtesy of San??

**Sin**

Sure whatever i’ll take you all out on a friend date

No lobster

I dont even know why yunho suggested it he cant fucking eat human food but

Suits and fancy food, on me

**BigBird**

wohoo!!

**MamaBird**

So yeosang just

Undid the wager

He just called our bluff out of nowhere

**BigBird**

Guess you really cant outsmart a fox

**SkaterBoi**

Damn right you cant 

**Sin**

Ok so lets skip to the wooing

Im sure by now all of you know i only accepted the bet i knew i would lose so i could set up seonghwa with hongjoong because theyre just destined to be

**BigBird**

Oooooooooooooooooooooh thats why you did it

**SkaterBoi**

…...jesus, yunho

**MamaBird**

Why are you so persistent in shipping me with someone i barely know

**BossBaby**

We know hongjoong! Hes nice!

**Sin**

Eh hes ok

But i know you like him

**MamaBird**

Do i now

**Sin**

Incubus, remember?

You cant lie to me i know

I know wooyoung likes me

I know hongjoong likes you

I know you like hongjoong

**BigBird**

Why did you type something and then delete it

**MamaBird**

San

**Sin**

What no i didnt

**BigBird**

I saw the little loading dots!!! And then they went away again and you hadnt sent anything!!!

**Sin**

Fine alright i was going to say i know i like wooyoung

MOVINGON 

Whats the plan to set up our two dads

**SkaterBoi**

I dont think we need to do anything do we theyre pretty smitten already

**BigBird**

Ye arent they just kind of inevitable

Like the passage of time, or san commenting obscene messages on jonghos instagram posts

**SkaterBoi**

Or you insisting on going as Dracula every halloween

**BigBird**

Come on its hilarious

**SkaterBoi**

Ive asked you so many times to stop

  
  


* * *

**The Three Buccaneers**

**QuarterMaster**

Howd it go with yunho

**SharkBait**

_(･＿．)/

**Cap**

How did it go with who now

**QuarterMaster**

Y U N H O

**SharkBait**

Well it was going pretty stellar until seonghwa walked in

**QuarterMaster**

PFFFFFFT

**Cap**

Why was i not told about this

Yunho????

When did this happen????

**SharkBait**

When you guys went to see the restaurant sunday

**Cap**

You sent me on an errand so you could hang out with a boy

I hate u

And why does wooyoung know about this before me what kind of betrayal is this????

**QuarterMaster**

He texted me!!

You were out with seonghwa and the others so he directed all the panicked texts my way

I was very helpful

**SharkBait**

He was not

**Cap**

Yeah you didnt need to tell me that

What happened with yunho

**SharkBait**

We watched a movie

**Cap**

What movie

**QuarterMaster**

Did you even watch enough of it to remember

**SharkBait**

Get your heads out of the gutter it wasnt like that!!

It was the cute lil animated one with the bunny him and san mentioned before

**QuarterMaster**

So youre telling me seonghwa walking in wasnt embarassing because you werent doing something other than watching the movie

**SharkBait**

….We might have been

**Cap**

WHAT THE HELL MINGI

Why didnt you tell me that how am i supposed to find this information out from WOOYOUNG???

**SharkBait**

Its embarrassing!!!

Youre like my dad!!!

Wooyoung wont judge me, he has no ground to stand on!!!

**QuarterMaster**

I cannot argue with that

**Cap**

I would _not_ judge you

**QuarterMaster**

(￣へ￣)

**SharkBait**

(￣へ￣)

  
  


**Cap**

I would not!!

I like yunho i think hes a nice kid!!

**SharkBait**

ok then maybe *this time* you wouldnt judge me

**Cap**

IM NOT JUDGEY

**QuarterMaster**

So if i told you i spent the morning with san youd be totally cool with that

**Cap**

NO I WOULDNT WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU

**QuarterMaster**

(￣ー￣〃)

**Cap**

Thats different and you know it

Mingi only makes dumb decisions 85% of the time and sans a litERAL DEMON

**SharkBait**

Ugh leave him be 

Did you have fun

**QuarterMaster**

It was alright

I didnt really stay long i got sleepy he sent me home

**Cap**

You-

Hes an incubus wooyoung

**QuarterMaster**

Itd only be a few dreams jeez whats the big deal

He asked me to leave anyway :(

**Cap**

You barely know him wooyoung

**QuarterMaster**

Says the guy who razzle dazzled seonghwa like the second time he saw him

**Cap**

That was an ACCIDENT

**QuarterMaster**

Sure hongjooong

sure


	18. Shaken

Now the bet’s been called off, it feels different to be together. He’s nervous, now, as they wait on the grass for the others, in Yeosang’s garden, Yunho lounging in the shade of a willow tree, Jongho and Yeosang stepping back outside with drinks.

They’d gathered like they always did after school, but this time the promise to meet with Hongjoong and the others is always in the back of Seonghwa’s mind, and he’s fairly certain he isn’t the only one who’s conscious of the difference, either. San’s acting suspiciously happy and cool, seeming more like the San he is with strangers than the one he is when he's alone with them, and Yunho is uncharacteristically quiet.

Only Yeosang and Jongho seem normal, as they take their spots on the grass again. 

Yeosang holds out a glass of lemonade for San, who’s sitting only a pace away, but holds out an arm, tutting and clicking his tongue as if trying to bring Yeosang closer so he doesn’t need to move himself.

Yeosang scowls. “I’m a kitsune, San, not a house cat.”

San smirks and leans forward to accept the drink, and Yeosang rolls his eyes, not overly annoyed.

“What’s taking them so long?” Jongho says mildly, glancing back towards the house as if expecting Wooyoung to come skipping out the back door to greet them.

Yeosang shrugs. “They said they had some stuff to take care of after school.”

“Like what?”

“No idea,” Yeosang says disinterestedly. 

Seonghwa rips a daisy from the grass and spins it between his fingers. 

Jongho leans in closer to his side. “Is something wrong?”

He asks it under his breath, but Seonghwa’s eyes dart around the garden to see if the others had heard. Yeosang’s close enough that he must have, but he’s kind enough to pretend to be ignorant of their conversation, busying himself with nagging at San and avoiding Seonghwa’s eye.

“I’m fine,” Seonghwa smiles.

“Then what did that poor daisy do to deserve uprooting?” Seonghwa looks down at the flower in his palm with a guilty expression, and Jongho breathes a laugh. “I’m just kidding, Hwa.”

“Right.” He senses Jongho’s eyes still on him, and thinks of something to say. “San’s just making me nervous.” It’s a lie, really, because the source of his nervousness isn’t how shifty San’s acting, and Jongho probably knows that by now. But the younger boy just laughs as if he believes him and draws away, leaving Seonghwa to destroy Yeosang’s garden some more. He’s contemplating asking Yunho to teach him how to make a daisy chain when the vampire straightens suddenly.

“Doorbell,” he announces, because none of the others had heard it, and Yeosang nods and gets to his feet, going to answer the door. He returns hand in hand with Wooyoung, who’s already grinning, Mingi and Hongjoong following more calmly behind him.

San gives Seonghwa a pointed look and quirks a brow. Seonghwa glares but says nothing.

The three of them settle into the grass, Mingi unapologetically finding a spot in the shade beside Yunho, Hongjoong flopping down beside Jongho, Wooyoung sitting by Yeosang’s side, which also puts him beside San, who leans back on his hands with a smirk, not looking at him.

Seonghwa sighs. He’d been jumpy all day, and seeing them all together now, sensing San and Yunho’s nervousness- and Wooyoung’s, which probably trumps them all combined- isn’t helping. He focuses on the tenor of Jongho’s voice, as he chats to Hongjoong, feeling the familiar rise and fall of it, the almost metallic tang it settles on his tongue. Hongjoong is quiet, letting the younger boy talk, nodding along as Yeosang joins in, and then Wooyoung, not saying much in the way of answering. Guiltily, Seonghwa feels relieved, at his reservation, knowing that the added distraction of Hongjoong’s voice would make the overwhelmed feeling swiftly transitioning into a headache that pounds at his temples ten times worse than it already is. He pulls away slightly, shuffling to sit on the path that snakes from Yeosang’s house through the garden, feeling the heat of the stone through his jeans.

Wooyoung slowly pulls out of the conversation- something Seonghwa is aware of straight away, because Wooyoung’s quietness is so much more uncharacteristic than Hongjoong’s. Seonghwa watches as San draws his attention, and though he can’t hear what’s being said over Jongho and Yeosang’s laughter, something about the expressions on their faces keeps his attention. Wooyoung looks away as he giggles, shy, and San smiles, casually putting an arm around the other boy’s shoulders. 

Maybe it’s not the nervousness in the air that’s upsetting Seonghwa. It’s happened a few times before, this feeling, when something had bothered him more than it should have. Intuition, dialed up to an almost unbearable, torturous level as he waits for _something_ to happen, just so he knows what his brain is reacting to. Maybe it’s this.

He tries not to seem like he’s watching them, but he’s not talking, and surely the others notice his attention is focussed elsewhere. San and Wooyoung, for their part, are at least too distracted to mention it, even if they do notice him staring. San hasn’t taken his arm from Wooyoung’s shoulders, and Wooyoung’s cheeks are coloured pink with laughter that sounds a little breathless, whenever Seonghwa catches the sound of it. He nods particularly enthusiastically to something San says, and Seonghwa isn’t the only one watching them anymore.

Hongjoong’s eyes have narrowed, and he shifts, leaning away from his own conversation, not sharing any of Seonghwa’s intentions of being subtle. The boys he’d been speaking to notice the shift, and turn their eyes to see what had captured his attention. Even Yunho and Mingi quiet down, Mingi sensing a shift in the air and stumbling for something to say to distract Hongjoong.

"Hey, did you see-”

Hongjoong easily talks over him. "Knock it off."

San and Wooyoung both look up at the sound of his voice, a distant, glazed look in Wooyoung's eyes, a shocked expression on San's face.

"Excuse me?" San gives Hongjoong a confused smile. Mingi winces.

"I said knock it off. Whatever you’re doing."

Wooyoung's cheeks deepen to a darker shade. He gives a nervous laugh that's little more than a gasp for air.

Seonghwa leans forward so San's eyes flicker to him instead. "San, maybe you should-"

"If Wooyoung's so uncomfortable he can tell me himself." His fingers flex on Wooyoung's shoulders, squeezing, and Wooyoung's eyes start to water. San smirks, and then a things get out of control.

"Knock it off," Hongjoong growls. He doesn’t look like himself, the change so sudden that the others can barely distinguish the second of the shift, when his features had started to look crueller, sharper, when the dark of his eyes had blazed into a bright pink. The glass Seonghwa had been holding shatters as it hits the stone of the path.

San's eyes widen, and the sly smirk drops into a scowl. 

"So," he sighs, tipping his head forward to look down at Wooyoung, "were you ever going to tell me your friend's a siren?"

Mingi jumps to his feet and pries San’s hands off of Wooyoung- though Seonghwa's frozen, eyes blank, and the others look stricken, Hongjoong's command had had no effect on San.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mingi snarls, and as San opens his mouth to reply, Yunho slides between them.

“Easy,” he soothes, both hands on Mingi’s shoulders, half holding him back from San, half trying to calm the angry red swirling in his irises. Mingi scowls, but drops San’s arm. The incubus shakes himself, then grins, rubbing at the red marks Mingi had left on his wrist.

“What’s the big deal?” he laughs. “I wouldn’t have this effect unless-”

“Take a walk, San,” a tired voice sighs, and they all look up to see Seonghwa, pale faced and shaken, glaring at him.

“But I didn’t-” Seonghwa’s glare darkens, and he stops. He snatches his jacket out of the grass with a huff. “Fine.”

They all watch him leave, and only when he’s out of their sight does Yunho step away from Mingi. Seonghwa swipes a hand across his face, trying to pull himself together.

“I’m sorry,” he says immediately, talking to the garden, not meeting Wooyoung's eye. “Sometimes he can’t control it.”

Mingi crouches by Wooyoung, who bats his concern away with an embarrassed blush, rubbing at his eyes. 

Hongjoong glances at Seonghwa carefully. “Are- are you alright?” he mumbles.

The breath Seonghwa releases shivers, and his nod isn’t quite convincing. “That’s going to take some getting used to,” he jokes, voice breathy.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I know. You were right to be angry.”

Yunho pats Wooyoung on the shoulder as he passes, in search of San. They all watch him go.

“I know you’re trying to make me feel better,” Mingi says suddenly, “but you’re too good at that and you’re just making me sleepy.”

Seonghwa straightens, an apologetic smile on his lips. “Woops.”

Mingi nods gratefully as the appeasing scent the other alpha had been sending out fades into something less noticeable. He’d been too wound up to even notice he was doing it.

Yeosang gulps, and Jongho shakes his head as if trying to knock water out of his ear.

“Siren,” he repeats, his voice still far away.

“A little warning...next time,” Yeosang mutters. “A little warning would have been nice.”

Hongjoong winces. “I panicked,” he mumbles apologetically. Yeosang seems less affected than he should be, for the first time he’d been around Hongjoon’s ability, but Jongho looks dazed, and Seonghwa’s hands shake as he fiddles, buttoning and unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt, fixing his collar, raising his glass to his lips and then setting it down on the path again.

“I’ll-” Hongjoong gets to his feet instead of finishing his sentence. Only Mingi looks up at him. “I should go.”

Yeosang grabs his wrist and tugs him back down into the grass. “Don’t be stupid,” he says, with enough conviction for Hongjoong to still.

“But I shouldn’t have-”

Yeosang rolls his eyes, leaning back in the grass, already shaking off the effects of Hongjong’s demand. “We’re friends with an incubus, Joong, did you really think we’d blink an eye at a siren? You’re basically the same thing.”

“We are _not_ the same thing.”

“Basically cousins,” Mingi muses.

“It’s not the same thing!” Hongjoong insists.

With the utmost patience, Yeosang nods along with him. “Alright mister mind control, it’s not the same thing.” His voice drips with sarcasm, and Hongjoong scoffs, thrown off balance, his confusion and guilt giving way to incredulity. 

“Like you can talk! Why are you so unaffected?”

Lazily Yeosang raises a hand, and a bright blue spark jumps into the air. “You’re not the only one with tricks, fish boy.”

Hongjoong jolts in surprise, and then shoves him, and Yeosang falls backwards onto his back, laughing. Jongho helps him back up with a smile on his face, recovering, seeing that Yeosang’s casual teasing has started to dissolve the strange tension that had been in the air, no doubt as he'd intended it to.

Mingi rubs at his eyes, startled by the bright light. “What the hell did you just do?” he asks, and Yeosang turns towards him, indulgently cupping a small blue flame in his palm, showing it to the others.

“Don’t look too closely,” Yeosang warns, and then bursts into loud giggles when they all avert their eyes as quickly as they can. Wooyoung laughs quietly with him.

“I was kidding.”

“Well,” Mingi sighs, resting against Wooyoung’s side. “We were wrong about Yeosang, Hongjoong.”

“Seems like it.”

Yeosang squints at them. “Wrong? Where you trying to guess what I was?” Hongjoong nods guiltily. “What were the guesses?”

“Elf,” Mingi says.

“Or Fae,” Hongjoong adds.

“It’s not polite to guess, you know,” Yeosang scolds them, smirking, looking at Seonghwa to see the older boy’s reaction to his own words, the thing he’d told them so many times before. Seonghwa smiles a little, looking back at him. 

Satisfied, Yeosang puts an arm under his head, lays back, and closes his eyes. The others continue to chat above him.


	19. Night

“Thank you,” is the first thing Jongho says to him when Yeosang shows him to the door. Most of the others are still in the garden, and a quiet fraction of their conversation floats through the house to the two of them, Mingi and Wooyoung’s loud voices, Hongjoong’s annoyed bickering, Seonghwa’s laugh. San and Yunho hadn’t come back, but after Yeosang’s teasing, Hongjoong’s awkwardness and Wooyoung’s embarrassment had mostly dissipated.

Yeosang tugs at the chain around his neck, looking down the street for the taxi that should be stopping at the end of his drive any moment now. “For what?”

“I know you did that on purpose, Sang.” This receives a strange look that’s trying very hard to be nonchalant, and Jongho crosses his arms. “That would have been a lot worse without you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Yeosang shrugs. Both of them still as headlights light up the darkness at the end of the block, but the car drives past them without stopping.

“Hongjoong isn’t the only one that’s good at getting people to do what he wants,” Jongho says, in the quiet, an odd, untraceable quality to his voice. Maybe he’s amused. Hopefully he’s amused.

Yeosang doesn’t look at him as he says, “We’re a strange group, aren’t we?”

Jongho scoffs at the understatement. “I was just getting used to the incubus and the kitsune things. Now we’ve got a goblin and a siren too.”

It’s not often that Yeosang thinks himself similar to San. Though their group rarely argues more seriously than insignificant, half-joking bickering, they’re the two who butt heads the most, and he’s often wondering at San’s motivations, finding them to be so different to his own. Now, as Jongho looks down the street, his profile lit under the soft glow of a streetlight, and Yeosang remembers that he’s new to their group, that before they’d met Hongjoong and Mingi, Jongho had been the last person to be accepted into their group, he feels all too aware of the similarities between him and the incubus. And Hongjoong now, he supposes. 

“I didn’t..like, _do_ anything to anyone.”

Jongho’s eyes blow wide. “I-no, that’s not what I-”

“Oh. Well-”

“Yeah, I just..I just meant I thought it was nice of you,” Jongho says quietly. “Being the mediator, when Seonghwa couldn’t...”

“Right.”

The sound of an engine disrupts the quiet, and another set of headlights shines down the street. This time, it’s a taxi, and it stops against the sidewalk, only paces away. They don’t have time to say anything they might want to- Yeosang doesn’t know why that bothers him so much, because he’d had nothing to say. Nothing he could string together in such short time could be comprehensible, much less heart felt or charming.  
He bites his tongue as Jongho talks through the open window to the driver, stopping himself from letting loose a jumbled mess of conversation, a clumsy goodbye the only thing he offers as Jongho turns back to him and says goodnight.

The others look up at him when Yeosang steps back into the garden, and Wooyoung pulls him down onto the grass again, so they’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. Mingi’s phone screen is casting a ghastly blue light on his face as he types something quickly- judging by the way Hongjoong and Wooyoung keep exchanging amused glances, he’s texting Yunho.

Yeosang decides that after an afternoon of trying to dispel the tension between them all, he deserves a moment to return to his usual blunt self and asks, “Is he still with San?”

Mingi grimaces, and tucks his phone into his pocket. “No. He said San was sulky, so he just walked him home and then they split up.”

Seonghwa grimaces. “I’ll talk to him. Before school.”

“Good,” Yeosang groans. “I’m _really_ tired of being the reasonable one.”

Wooyoung scoffs. “ _You-_ ”

“It just felt good to say OK, let me have it!”

Seonghwa laughs at them both, brushing grass off of his trousers as he stands. “It’s late, we should all get some rest.”

Yeosang rolls his eyes despite his tiredness. “Yes, Dad.”

Since San and Yunho left, Wooyoung’s playfulness had returned in full, and now he settles more comfortably into the grass and asks, rebelliously, “What if I don’t want to go to bed yet?”

Hongjoong grabs him by the collar and yanks. “Come _on_ you little gremlin, I’m tired.”

Yeosang laughs at them all, as Hongjoong herds Wooyoung out into the street and Mingi follows sleepily behind, dragging his feet, Seonghwa’s car waiting for them all in Yeosang’s drive. He’s too tired to resent how quiet his house is without them- sleep finds him easily.

The same can’t be said for Jongho.

He’d attempted to distract himself the entire taxi ride back home, trying his best not to think of anything in particular, focussing on the blurry streetlights and rare headlight in the sea of darkness outside the taxi window, the night numbing-cold as he steps out and thanks the driver, his bed a welcome refuge, but not tempting enough to pull him under.

He spends a lot of time dissuading himself from the idea, but in the end, he caves just the same.

* * *

**Jongho**

Are you awake

**San**

….do you know who youre texting

**Jongho**

I was just wondering whether you were feeding or not you ass

Its fine

Go back to your pity party or whatever the hell it was you were doing before this

**San**

Wow

Somethings up huh

**Jongho**

Nothings up

**San**

Yunho might believe you when you say that jong but we both know im too smart for this

Youd never be so mean if there wasnt something bothering you

**Jongho**

You guys joke like that all the time

**San**

Yes, but youre better than us

Why did you come to me and not seonghwa

**Jongho**

Have you saw the time

**San**

Thats it? No, _you give valuable advice too, San, youre my smart, reliable friend?_

You wound me

**Jongho**

Im going to sleep now

**San**

Of course

There is another reason youd come to me and not our adorably oblivious mom friend

**Jongho**

There is?

**San**

Who is it

**Jongho**

Whos who

**San**

The person you want to ask me about

There must be one

Youre up very late, and texting little old me for advice when you could wait until tomorrow for seonghwa really is telling, jongho

**Jongho**

Forget i said anything

Its dumb

**San**

I once saw yunho google how to spell wednesday 

it wasnt even a wednesday it was tuesday

Whatever you want to ask cant be worse than that

**Jongho**

I dont know

**San**

Its THAT bad????

Tell me 

Tell me tell me tell me you cant be the perfect child forever ive been waiting for this for so long

**Jongho**

Jeez

Thanks for the support

Really

**San**

Im here for you buddy

What did you want

**Jongho**

You promise you wont be an ass about it

**San**

For you? Ill be on my best behaviour

Cross my heart, ill never mention this again

**Jogho**

I hate that youre being serious right now

How many secrets of ours do you know by now

**San**

Youre stalling

**Jongho**

Please just let me keep doing it

**San**

No, jongho

You need to sleep at some point tonight

And im not just saying that so i can mess with you in your dreams

**Jongho**

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh

Ok

Here goes

Im just going to say it

This isnt weird or anything

I can just ask it

**San**

...yup, also are you ok

**Jongho**

So

How did you know

When

That you

**San**

-.-

Are you asking what i think youre asking

no

Way

**Jongho**

Oh god

**San**

And you caME TO ME????

**Jongho**

I knew yunho would blab and seongwha would be weird about it alright i didnt have much of a choice

**San**

What about yeosang

**Jongho**

Would you please just answer and put me out of my misery im begging you

**San**

Alright, alright

I dont know, i guess, its just a feeling

How did you know you like girls?

**Jongho**

I was really obsessed with kim possible when i was younger

**San**

O﹏o

Oh my GOD i want to tell people that SO bad

**Jongho**

Too late youre already sworn to secrecy

**San**

UGH thats torture

Remind me which one of us is the demon again

**Jongho**

I was hoping for a less vague answer

Like a sure thing

**San**

It aint that complicated jongho 

If youre asking me that question, do you really need to ask?

**Jongho**

Yes, san, this is confusing!!!!

And kind of a big deal!!!!

**San**

Eh

Its not

Trust me, im an incubus, i feel that gives me some standing on this

  
  


**Jongho**

Well its a big deal _to me,_ alright?

**San**

Alright

thats ok

But I might be more help if you gave me some specifics

  
  


**Jongho**

No thank you

**San**

Then i really dont know what you want me to tell you

**Jongho**

Cant you just tell me whether i like him

You know these things

You can just tell me

**San**

If you want me to answer that youre going to have to tell me who it is youre asking about

**Jongho**

I should have known youd make this difficult

**San**

Ye you really should have

**Jongho**

Forget it

Fine

Ill figure it out myself

**San**

Even i cant tell you how you feel jongho

Even if you do LIKE someone, the only person who can decide whether you want to ACT on those feelings is you yourself

**Jongho**

Stop being so smart and reasonable youre making me feel worse

**San**

Alright

Get your head out of your ass, then

Stop panicking

If youre asking me about him, im sure you already know your answer

Just get some sleep jong

This can wait until the morning

**Jongho**

Alright 

Good night san

And 

Thanks

**San**

Good night bud


	20. Stop Me

“Yeosang hypnotises us sometimes if we can’t get to sleep,” Yunho’s saying, his voice loud and boisterous and amused across the din of the cafeteria, “and then San pops up in our dreams. Why on _earth_ would we even bat an eye at you being part siren?”

“Yeah,” Yeosang agrees, nodding emphatically. “You’re not even the real deal anyway and you thought we couldn’t handle you?”

“I am so the ‘real deal’!” Hongjoong cries.

Jongho tips his head, thoughtful. “Being half siren half human isn-”

“You're a mermaid, if anything.”

Hongjoong points a spoon at one of Yeosang’s eyes. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Sounds like quite the conversation we’re missing,” a voice says above them, and they all look up, to see San standing at their table, Seonghwa letting go of his arm as if he’d been dragging the incubus through school toward them.

“This is your fault,” Hongjoong scowls at him. “If you hadn’t been such an asshole I’d never-”

“You trip up all the time, Joong, you can hardly blame all of it on San.”

Hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest. “I can, and I will.”

Mingi laughs nervously and waves his hands in the air, getting their attention. “He’s not being serious,” he says, sensing the other’s trepidation. “If he were really annoyed, he’d have done something already.”

No one asks what the ‘something’ might have been, but Mingi sees San gulp as he takes a seat far away from Hongjoong and laughs, quietly. 

It’s monday. Seonghwa hadn’t shown on friday, after the spat in Yeosang’s garden, and neither had San, so it had been clear that they were together, San facing what was likely an excruciating long lecture. He’d apologised profusely to Wooyoung already, even though it hadn’t really been necessary, considering Wooyoung had reached out first, knowing from Hongjoong how easy it was to slip up and do something you hadn’t meant when you have little control of your abilities. The only person who still seems to be holding a grudge is Hongjoong, but San doesn’t know he’s the only one buying the front Hongjoong’s stubbornly keeping up.

“If anyone can relate to San, it’s you,” Seonghwa tells him, when the others have scattered in every direction, San and Wooyoung and Yunho to a practice room, Mingi to class, and Yeosang and Jongho who-knows-where. 

Hongjoong huffs as if he knows this is true, but is intent on arguing with it anyway. “It’s different. I don’t have control-”

“And you think San always does?” Seonghwa’s eyes flicker between Hongjoong’s, looking for the reluctant sympathy he knows must be there, but is staying well hidden. “He doesn’t have a lot of practice in this area of his ability. He can control the dreams, but not this.”

The glare this gets him makes it clear Hongjoong doesn’t appreciate being proven wrong, “I still think he did it on purpose,” he mutters.

Seonghwa laughs and bumps their shoulders together. “No you don’t. You’re just defensive enough of Wooyoung to try to find an excuse to keep them apart.”

He’s right, and they both know it. Hongjoong rolls his eyes and shoves both hands in his pockets.

Trying to fight a smile, Seonghwa adds, “And I’d wager you reacted so badly to San because you know that what you did to the rest of us wasn’t too dissimilar to what San did with Wooyoung.”

Hongjoong bites back another apology he knows won’t be appreciated after every other one he’d already given since that day in the garden. “Stop being so clever, would you?” He tries not to feel ridiculously proud of the laugh this gets.

“That might be- be…”

Seonghwa trails off. Confused, Hongjoong turns to frown at him, and sees the alpha has stopped walking, a few paces from the back doors of the school, where they’d been heading inside.

“Seonghwa?”

Without answering, Seonghwa turns on his heels, and it’s then that Hongjoong notices the boy approaching them, huddled in on himself, arms clawing at the sleeves of his sweater, head dipped and staring desperately at the grass as he walks, avoiding people’s eye. He makes to charge past them, but Seonghwa reaches out, blocking his way with a hand, careful not to touch him, and the boy yelps, gaping up at him with yellow eyes.

“Excuse-”

“You shouldn’t be on campus,” Seonghwa says, in the voice he usually reserves for Jongho, soft and quiet. Hongjoong frowns at the sound of it, so gentle against the backdrop of noise outside the campus, but the other boy winces so sharply, it’s as if he’d yelled.

“I was-”

“Do you need us to take you home?”

The boy’s eyes widen alarmingly, but then flicker to Hongjoong, and he seems to be considering something.

“He’s not a wolf, I thought his being there would make you more comfortable.”

“You have a car?”

Seonghwa nods. “Follow me?”

He takes a step backwards, half turning to the doors of campus, watching for whether the boy will follow him. When he does, Seonghwa gives him a warm smile, and side steps, leading them around the back of the building instead of through the busy campus lobby and cafeteria. Thinking it’s what’s being asked of him, Hongjoong follows at the back, still perplexed as he watches Seonghwa stride toward his car in the parking lot, holding a back door open for the other boy. 

“Sit beside me, would you?” Seonghwa says quietly, when he’s closed the door, gesturing to the passengers side. Without a reason to disobey, Hongjoong nods and sits in the passenger seat, silent and uncertain of what to do until Seonghwa sitting too, turning the ignition, and asking him to put some music on as they drive.

The boy in the backseat is unnaturally quiet, as they get further and further from campus, only speaking once, after Seonghwa had been repeatedly asking him where they should drop him off for a few minutes, as Hongjoong’s patience had begun to fray. The alpha’s knuckles are white around the steering wheel, but his voice is soft, and when they pull into an empty drive of a cottage a while later, he smiles as he holds the car door open.

“You’ll be alright by yourself?” he asks, in that gentle voice, as the boy hesitates to step up to the house.

The stranger nods his head desperately, and Seonghwa takes a step back, toward the car, though he doesn’t sit back inside until the other boy has disappeared into the house.

“What was that?” Hongjoong asks, glancing carefully at Seonghwa’s face.

“A heat,” the alpha says, and though his voice is level enough to sound disinterested, he looks queasy, an unnatural pallor to his skin. The door slams shut too quickly, rattling the car, and then they’re speeding away back to school.

Hongjoong waits a few minutes, hoping the sickness will go out of him, but then looks across to see Seonghwa clenching his jaw, and asks, “Are you going to be alright?”

“I’m fine,” Seonghwa reassures him.

“You’re not going to freak out on me?”

A small smile twists Seonghwa’s lips out of a hard line into something softer. “I don’t think so.” Hongjoong goes back to staring out of the window at the passing cars, trying to ignore the awkward silence around them, until Seonghwa clears his throat. “Thank you for coming with us. I doubt he would have agreed to let me drive him home if you hadn’t been here.”

It’s a forgein concept to Hongjoong, who despite his friendship with Mingi has never fully understood the hierarchy that comes with being a wolf, but he bats away the compliment just as he would any other, and doesn’t mention it.

“You’re pale,” he says instead.

Seonghwa lets out a shaky sigh. “I’ll be fine,” he repeats, even though he knows it doesn’t sound like the truth.

They pull into the parking lot again, and climb out of the car. They’ve only walked a few paces before Seonghwa’s doubled over, hands on his knees. Hongjoong winces, but moves closer, putting a hand flat on Seonghwa’s back in an awkward attempt at comforting him.

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa croaks, squeezing his eyes shut to ignore the way the ground sways under him. “It’s just a little overwhelming-”

“I understand,” Hongjoong says, because he does. Even if he doesn’t pick up on the things wolves do in these situations, he’d known it would be difficult for Seonghwa in particular. 

Seonghwa laughs a little as Hongjoong pushes him down, both of them sitting on the asphalt a little closer to the front of school. Seonghwa’s breath is shaky, and his skin is even paler in the sunlight, his hands shaky as he runs his fingers roughly through his hair.

“It was good of you to help,” Hongjoong says, cringing inwardly at the sound of the clumsy compliment. “Even when you knew it wouldn’t be easy for you.”

“I-” Seonghwa starts, and then cuts himself off, cursing under his breath. Hongjoong watches him for a moment, eyeing the deep frown of concentration on his face.

“I could help, if you want.”

It’s out before he’s really thought it through, and immediately he regrets it, as Seonghwa’s wide eyes flicker up to his own.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry-”

“You’d do that?” Seonghwa asks, cutting across his apology.

But Hongjoong’s already shaking his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea-”

“Please.” A hand paws at his sleeve and Hongjoong glances down, to see Seonghwa’s fingers encircle his wrist, cold against his skin. 

Hongjoong shakes his head again. “You don’t need me to. You said you were fine, didn’t you?”

Seonghwa huffs a laugh, hanging his head. “We both know I was lying.”

“Then this is what you deserve,” Hongjoong says, without meaning it. “Pull yourself together, would you?”

Seonghwa laughs breathlessly. “At least keep talking to me?” he asks, eyes wide and pleasing, and Hongjoong hesitates, doesn’t quite trust himself enough, but doesn’t want to refuse him.

“What do you want me to say?”

Seonghwa shrugs out of his jacket.“Anything. It doesn’t matter.” 

Hongjoong desperately tries to come up with something to say as Seonghwa waits. “Well...I could tell you about how much I freaked out when you talked about my voice. I told Wooyoung and Mingi and everything. I thought you’d figured me out.”

“Seawater,” Seonghwa laughs, his frown clearing, turning into an incredulous grin. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“It was weird, to say the least. You definitely surprised me.”

“Forgive me,” Seonghwa says, smiling bashfully.

Hongjoong scrunches up his nose. “Stop apologising. I shouldn’t have tried to hide something from you in the first place.”

This leads to a thoughtful silence that stirs anxious butterflies in Hongjoong’s stomach. Seonghwa’s eyes flicker over his face, unreadable.

“I understand why you wanted to keep it from me,” he says, and his voice has the same unreadable quality.

Hongjoong shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have.”

His stomach twists as Seonghwa studies him again, intently, taking in every small detail of the expression Hongjoong is trying to keep neutral, nonchalant. It’s not a great time to notice their closeness, but he can’t help it, with Seonghwa staring at him like that.

“Do you trust me?” Seonghwa asks quietly.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Hongjoong says, because the question is ridiculous, with everything he knows about Seonghwa. Seonghwa’s tongue darts out to wet his lips and without meaning to, Hongjoong’s eyes dip to follow the movement, until he realises how this must look, with their closeness, and he tears his gaze away.

“You don’t...think I’m strange?”

Hongjoong shrugs, still avoiding his eye. Seonghwa’s mood is catching- he’s breathless too, now, shaky. “I’m hardly what people would consider normal myself, Seonghwa.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Seonghwa breathes, and the sound of his laughter catches Hongjoong’s attention. He turns back to look at him with something sharp on his tongue, in retaliation, but Seonghwa must have moved, when he wasn’t looking, because turning his head brings their faces closer than they had been before. Seonghwa’s eyes widen, as if he’s surprised too, but neither of them lean away. Hongjoong feels Seonghwa’s breath ghost across his lips as the older boy lets out a shaky exhale. 

“Stop me,” Seonghwa says.

Hongjoong stills as the distance between them gets impossibly smaller, but doesn’t say anything.

“Please,” Seonghwa says, even as his eyes lower to Hongjoong’s lips.

“Stop,” Hongjoong says, just to test it. The other boy's gaze flickers between his eyes.

“Nothing happened,” Seonghwa says quietly. He stares at Hongjoong’s dark eyes, trying to find a trace of pink, and failing. “Why didn’t it work?”

Hongjoong swallows thickly. “Because I didn’t want it to.”

Seonghwa’s lashes flutter, almost closing. They’re so close Hongjoong can feel the heat between them, the warmth of Seonghwa’s skin, even though they’re not quite touching. He closes his eyes.

Someone clears their throat loudly behind them.

Seonghwa jolts, and pulls away. Sighing, Hongjoong opens his eyes, turning to look behind him and finding San with a terribly satisfied smirk, standing with his hands in his pockets.

“Am I interrupting?” he asks, voice lilting with amusement.

Seonghwa starts to shake his head. Hongjoong snaps, channelling the wave of irritation into bravery, and leans forward to kiss him, quick, surprising him. Seonghwa freezes, wide eyed as Hongjoong pulls away, and flushes crimson.

San laughs delightedly, and Hongjoong thinks he isn’t so bad, really.


	21. Nefarious

It takes a blink of an eye before everyone knows. Hongjoong spots Wooyoung and Yunho as they step out of class and it’s there in their shocked expression, in Wooyoung’s smug grin and Yunho’s playful eyebrow wiggles- they already know what’s happened. San’s clearly to blame, being the only one there to witness this new development between Hongjoong and Seonghwa, but just shrugs and pretends he doesn’t know how the others know. 

“We fucking _told you,_ ” Wooyoung cries, as soon as the three of them are alone together- or, would be, if it weren’t for the fact that San keeps lingering in the background, even when they retreat to the classroom Hongjoong usually holes himself up in, one hand around Wooyoung’s waist as if daring Hongjoong to try to send him away.

Mingi, sharing his joy, laughs heartily as he flops into the other chair beside Hongjoong’s desk. “We did,” he says smugly. “But of course you were all _I don’t like him,_ and _It’s never going to happen.”_

“Sounds like someone I know,” San adds, and Wooyoung slaps him on the arm as they laugh.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes at them all. “Alright. Fine, you got me, good for you. But you can stop acting like we’re engaged or something now, it was just one kiss-”

San scoffs, cutting off his excuses. “To Seonghwa, that’s the equivalent of eloping.”

“Don’t let Hongjoong fool you,” Mingi stage-whispers. “He’s the same.”

The incubus smirks. “Oh, he wasn’t fooling me.” His eyes trail heavily over Hongjoong’s expression, and the silver haired boy turns away, groaning.

“Why are you here again?”

San’s expression flattens as if he hadn’t thought about it yet. “....To watch you suffer?”

Mingi glances up at him, looking vaguely surprised. “It’s not to threaten him?”

“You’re kidding, right?” San laughs. “If Seonghwa found out I did that, he'd skin me.”

“Oh,” Mingi says. “Then I guess I’ll just do all the threatening myself.”

San waves a hand through the air. “Let’s skip the whole, _if Seonghwa breaks his heart_ stuff, yeah?” He juts his chin toward Hongjoong and adds, “I’m pretty sure your siren buddy could do more damage than Seong ever could.”

“You’re one to talk,” Hongjoong mutters, eyeing where San’s hand rests on Wooyoung’s hip.

The goblin groans. “Let’s not do this again. Shouldn’t we be talking about funner things?”

Though he’s known Wooyoung long enough to know exactly what he means, has suffered through movie nights full of whispered confessions and gossip for too long now to not know what 'fun' means, Hongjoong plays innocent as if he doesn’t, trying to keep his voice bored and uninterested when he asks, “Like what?”

“Like dates!” Wooyoung cries, practically bouncing where he stands, making San giggle and retract his arm. “Like confessions of undying love!”

Silver hair stands on end as Hongjoong tears both hands through it, making the strands stand ruffled in every direction. His mouth opens and closes a few times, incredulously stunned silent, before he manages to strangle out- “Aren’t you taking this a little too seriously?”

San fixes him with a sharp-eyed look. “This isn’t serious to you? You’re just playing around?”

Even though he knows it’s a trap, Hongjoong shakes his head. “That is _not_ what I said.”

“Great,” Wooyoung smirks. “So where are you taking him?”

“Hang on, I didn’t agree-”

“It’s cool," San says, "I already have a plan.”

Hongjoong gapes at him. “You-you do?”

The incubus shrugs nonchalantly, though the grin that tugs at his lips is sly and satisfied. “Usually," he says, elusively.

It's at least a small comfort to see Wooyoung isn't a part of this planning, when the goblin frowns, and asks, “Well, what is it?”

San leans back against the door. “You see," he starts, "after we met the three of you, I somehow roped Seonghwa into making a bet with me-”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Mingi laughs, shaking his head.

“You’d be surprised. Anyway, the bet was about whether it was Wooyoung or Hongjoong who wanted to... _befriend_ one of us, because Seonghwa always denies when people like him, or he likes other people, and I wanted him to get his head out of his ass-anyway, he bet that it was Wooyoung-”

“It was,” the goblin says, a little bashfully, and San grins and throws an arm around Wooyoung's shoulders, pulling him to his side.

“Oh, I know,” he laughs fondly. “I knew then, too, it’s kind of impossible for me _not_ to know, all abilities considered. But I also knew Hongjoong liked Seonghwa, so I made the bet anyway, and then threw in the towel when Yeosang pointed out very cleverly that unless I forfeit, I wouldn’t be able to _make my move,_ so to speak, without losing. So, I forfeited. And the penalty of this bet was that I have to treat everyone to dinner at a _very_ fancy restaurant- see where I’m going with this?”

Wooyoung giggles, looking euphoric with slyness. “Yes.”

Wishing he had his talent for mischief, Hongjoong shakes his head, still feeling out of the loop. “Not...really?”

“I already made the reservation,” San says.

Understanding dawns on Mingi’s face, the frown line between his brows disappearing as they shoot up to his hairline. “ _Oh_ ,” he breathes, one long, melodic note of sound.

At Hongjoong’s confused squinting, Wooyoung shakes his head exasperatedly, as if it were something very obvious. “He wants us all to pretend to be on our way,” he explains, “but then get _hopeless lost_ or something as an excuse to leave the two of you alone-”

“Actually, I was just suggesting not showing up at all,” San interrupts, with a shrug.

“Even better,” Wooyoung grins.

Hongjoong throws up his hands, irritated. “How is that better?”

To his surprise, San explains very patiently, voice level and devoid of any teasing. “Because then you’ll get to go on a date without actually having to _ask_ for a date, and Seonghwa won’t even consider chickening out and saying no even though he wants to go, because he’ll think everyone’s going to be there anyway.”

“It’s the perfect plan,” Wooyoung says, admiringly.

But San winces. “ _Almost_ perfect. The others might not be too happy with me not actually paying the price of our little bet.”

“Yeosang will be fine with it,” Wooyoung argues, shaking his head. “I’m sure he’d rather be causing mischief this way than feeling out of place in a fancy restaurant. I can talk to him.”

“I don’t doubt you can convince him,” the incubus says, and already his eyes have swivelled hesitantly to Mingi. “I was talking about Yunho, really. He was the one to pick the penalty, he’ll be annoyed if he doesn’t actually get to go.”

 _Oh. So_ that’s _why he’s suddenly talking to me,_ Mingi thinks. He’d object, and say that if Yunho wanted this to play out, he’s not going to try to convince him to drop it before the penalties paid, but being the person San turns to, the person they all seem to think might have the most sway over the vampire, puts him in too good of a mood to argue.

So Mingi sighs, “Fine, fine, leave him to me.”

“You know, I still haven’t agreed to this,” Hongjoong says, without much feeling.

“You either show up and keep him company, or Seonghwa goes, realises none of us are actually going to be there, and spends the night by himself. Isn't there very clearly a better option between those two?"

Hongjoong deflates with a groan.

“Demon,” he mutters, and all San can do is grin.

Mingi’s already rummaging in his pockets for his phone.

* * *

  
  
  


**TheTwilightZone**

  
  
  


**TLaut _._**

Yun

**R.Patz**

….

Every time i get a notification from this chat i remember the twilight references and get disappointed in you all over again

Just because of the wolf/vampire thing, you dont need to bring it up all the time

**_TLaut._ ** _Changed_ **_R.Patz_ ** _’s name to_ **_Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)_ **

  
  
  


**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Marginally better

**TLaut _._**

Um 

sooooooooooooooo

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Oh god

what is it

Are you breaking up with me 

You arent you

Why would you change my username and then break up with me!!!

**TLaut.**

Wtf is wrong with you!!!

No!!! 

No thats not what im doing

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Oh

Then

What is it??

It sounded like something you didnt want to tell me

  
  


**TLaut.**

Uh yea

So

About that bet san lost

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

WHO TOLD YOU

**TLaut.**

San, just now

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Well that cant be good

Whats the nefarious plan i dont know

  
  


**TLaut.**

Pretend we’re all invited to the fancy restaurant, get ‘lost’ on the way, leave hongjoong and seonghwa stranded alone together

  
  


**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

But my lobster!!!

**TLaut.**

Babe you cant even eat lobster

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

The others could :(((((

And there was fancy stuff for me and jongho too!!

**TLaut.**

its your birthday soon, we can all eat fancy then

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

but i wanted to go this weekend :(

**TLaut.**

Me or fancy food

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Fancy food.

**TLaut.**

YUNHO!

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Ok fine, its obviously you

And i guess it would be fun to dupe them, they really need to be forced into talking huh

  
  


**TLaut.**

(~￣³￣)~

(~￣³￣)~

Of course its me

(~￣³￣)~

we can have fun while theyre on their forced very awkward date come on

(~￣³￣)~

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Are you..are you trying to bribe me with kisses (ㅡㄴㅡ)

  
  


**TLaut**

Depends, is it working??

(~￣³￣)~

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Of COURSE its WORKING

I already said yes anyway

But after this youre taking me out

Just the two of us

**TLaut _._**

Cant say no to that ｡^‿^｡

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

Gross 

**TLaut _._**

whAt

**Dracula (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ** )

I said cant wait <3

  
  
  



	22. Happy Endings

“We’ve been Parent Trapped,” is the first thing Seonghwa says when he sits down.

Hongjoong has to expend every effort not to spit-take the nervous sip of water he’d been taking all over the table. “ _ What?” _ he croaks.

Seonghwa doesn’t notice his reaction- he’s still looking over his shoulder, turning his head this way and that as if trying to spot someone.

“You know,” he says distractedly, “that...Lindsay Lohan movie...with the...divorcees-” he turns and spots Hongjoong gaping at him, and stops looking around. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know what the Parent Trap is?”

Seonghwa winces as if he’d just unwittingly revealed a dark secret. “Yeosang made me watch it.”

Hongjoong tries not to laugh at his sheepish expression. “And...we’ve been  _ Parent Trapped _ ?”

Hearing his own theory repeated back to him seems to break Seonghwa’s embarrassment, and impatiently, he says, “Yeah, set up. San said he was going to the bathroom when we stepped inside the restaurant and now I can’t see any of them. D’you think they bolted?”

_ Just act natural, Hongjoong. _

“Why would they do that?”

Seonghwa turns as if about to start looking around again, and then freezes. He turns back to Hongjoong slowly, eyes narrowed, the corners of his lips turning down.

“What?”

“Your voice was weird,” Seonghwa says.

_ Well  _ that  _ lasted shorter than I thought it would. _

“It was?” Seonghwa raises a brow, and a shaky, nervous laugh blows Hongjoong’s cover before he can swallow it. “Damn,” he sighs, “I guess it really is impossible to lie to you, huh?”

The alpha frowns. “Why would you want to lie to me?”

Hongjoong’s eyes blow wide. “Wh-I don’t-”

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing,” Hongjoong tries, and Seonghwa grimaces as if a bad smell were under his nose. “Alright, alright. I...might have known about the ‘ _ parent trap’ _ , if you want to call it that.”

“You did?”

Hongjoong feels the need to point out- “It wasn’t my idea. San just said that you might flake if I asked you on a date and if we pretended everyone was going to be there, you would show-”

“I would not  _ flake!” _ Seonghwa insists, and the word’s so awkward and unfamiliar on his tongue, Hongjoong snickers.

“You’re sure?”

“No!” Seonghwa cries, just to make him laugh again, and when Hongjoong giggles, his offended expression softens into something gentler. “Ok, I might have. I should never have trusted San.”

“You  _ did _ kind of bring this upon yourself,” Hongjoong nods.

Seonghwa sighs and fiddles with his napkin, avoiding his eye. “You could have asked me anyway,” he says softly, and Hongjoong’s heart skips a dangerous number of beats.

_ You’re better than this _ , he scolds himself, willing himself to believe it, and is alarmed to find himself wondering what San would do in this situation. Not a great indication of fair judgement, but it’s easier to fake confidence than he thought it might be, and he finds himself stretching a hand over the table, resting it on top of Seonghwa’s.

“Park Seonghwa,” he says, and Seonghwa flushes bright pink, but laughs at his tone, “will you be parent trapped with me?”

Seonghwa tips his head to one side. “It’s not really a  _ parent trap _ if we know about it-”

“I was trying to be cute," Hongjoong interrupts, "just say yes.”

Something defiant and close to amusement flashes over Seonghwa's expression. “What happens if I say no?”

Hongjoong shrugs and hopes it looks nonchalant and cool and doesn't betray the fact that it feels like he's having a heart attack. “Just some mild psychological damage.”

“Well we can’t have that,” Seonghwa laughs.

“Is that a yes?” Hongjoong asks, and feels like he can breath again, when the alpha nods.

“Yes.”

“Good," he sighs, wrapping his hand more tightly around Seonghwa's. The alpha's still flushed, looking down at their hands, and Hongjoong smothers the urge to pull away and says, “And if you ever tell anyone I asked you out like that, I’m never talking to you again.”

Seonghwa throws his head back and laughs, a realer, fuller sound than the nervous chuckles of before, and Hongjoong finds himself grinning like an idiot as the alpha slaps the back of his hand, reprimanding. He doesn’t think he ever actually stops smiling like that, the entire night.

Things are...different, back at San’s house. Mingi and Yunho had bailed, as soon as they were all running out of the restaurant, escaping somewhere with plans of their own, and San had invited the remaining four of them to his house for a game night. Jongho had been looking forward to it, but now that he’s actually sitting on a couch as far away from Yeosang as he can, there’s a weird tension in the air that he can’t ignore no matter how hard he tries. It might be just him, because of the strangely pointed look San had given him as he and Wooyoung had gone back upstairs ‘for snacks’. They’re taking their time. And now it’s just him and Yeosang.

He glances over at the kitsune and immediately shrinks back- Yeosang’s looking straight at him. 

Jongho clears his throat awkwardly.  “So...you think it’s going well?”

Yeosang gives a sly laugh that doesn’t sound as evil as it usually does, glancing down at the phone he’d been fiddling with ever since they’d been left alone. Maybe it isn’t just Jongho imagining the tension.

“Well I haven’t gotten any new threatening texts from Seonghwa begging for help, so, I guess it must be.”

Silence threatens to descend again and lamely, Jongho, says, “I feel kind of bad for lying to him,” just to avoid the awkward quiet.

“Don’t,” Yeosang shrugs, “he needed the push. It’ll turn out for the better.”

“Right.”

They should probably be talking about something else. They’d said everything they wanted to about the date on the way back from the restaurant. What that thing  _ is _ , that they could be talking about, Jongho’s less certain.

Before he can figure it out, Yeosang suddenly asks, “You’re not avoiding me, are you?”

Any thought of avoiding Yeosang's gaze flies out of the window- Jongho blinks at him dumbly. _In what world would I ever want to avoid you?_

"Why would you say that?”

Yeosang shrugs. “I don’t know, I just...well, we haven’t been hanging out as much as we used to, and-” he gestures speechlessly over to where Jongho’s sitting, and the younger boy tries not to wince, a sudden wave of guilt washing over him.

“I’m not avoiding you,” he says, though now he's saying it, it feels like a lie. Had he been? All of those times he'd panicked when it was just the two of them, had Yeosang noticed them all, and thought the worst?

Yeosang doesn’t seem to believe him, either. “Have I made you uncomfortable?”

This answer, at least, Jongho's certain of. “No. No, it’s nothing like that.”

He should have known better than to speak without thinking- Yeosang catches the mistake immediately, and presses, “But there  _ is _ something.”

_ No, no, no, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. _

He jumps to his feet. "They've been gone a while, I should go check-"

“Jongho,” Yeosang calls, voice firmer with impatience, stopping him in his tracks. “What can’t you tell me?”

Jongho can feel his heart beating faster than it should, pounding against his rib-cage. “ _ Sang _ ,” he whines, pushing the bottom of his palms over his eyes.

There’s the horrible sound of someone standing up and Jongho turns and takes a step away just as Yeosang gets to his feet. “I won't be mad. If I’ve made you uncomfortable, you can just tell me, I can back off.”

_ Wait-what? _

“ _ Back off?”  _ Jongho repeats.

Yeosang’s brows furrow. “That isn’t what this is about?”

“Back off, how? What are you talking about?”

Yeosang’s mouth drops open as if someone had just punched him in the gut. He’s pale, under the dim basement lights, and it takes a moment of him opening and closing his mouth before he manages to find the words. “I thought you knew.”

“Yeosang?”

There’s a string of colourful curses, and then a great, long sigh. Yeosang laces his fingers together at the back of his neck, chin dipped towards his chest, staring at the carpet.

“I really thought you would have noticed by now.”

Jongho’s mouth is dry. He says nothing, not trusting his voice, and Yeosang drops his arms to his sides. His gaze slowly lifts from the carpet to meet Jongho’s own.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

_ This can’t be what I think it is.  _ _ It can't be. _

“Maybe you should just spell it out for me," Jongho says.

Yeosang lets out a breathless, shaky laugh. “You’re really not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

“I think I know,” Jongho admits. He’s surprised at himself for being able to voice the thought, but as soon as he’s said it, Yeosang’s eyes widen, and it’s his turn to glare holes into the carpet, face burning. The kitsune says nothing, and when Jongho can’t stand the silence anymore, he grinds out, “I don’t know if I actually like- whether I’m…”

“I could help with that.”

Jongho gulps. His eyes flicker up to Yeosang’s. “You could?”

Yeosang nods, studying his expression carefully. He's smiling so softly, Jongho almost can't bear to look at him. “If you wanted me to.”

And Jongho'd do anything not to make that smile fade, even if he feels sick with nerves, and he's not sure he can do this.

“O-Okay.” Yeosang keeps staring at him, like he’s waiting for more, so Jongho nods in a way that he hopes looks somewhere close to certain. “Alright. Okay.”

Yeosang laughs a little under his breath. Jongho tries not to freeze as he steps forward, but then Yeosang’s face is inches from his, and he stops breathing. It’s soft, at first, so soft the press of lips against his is barely noticeable, and he’s just about to pull away and say it isn’t working when Yeosang shuffles closer. Jongho hears himself stutter a gasp as the pressure increases, Yeosang warm and certain as he slots their lips together, tilting his head to make up for Jongho’s clumsy ignorance, and Jongho slowly feels himself melting into the sensation, as Yeosang leaves an open mouthed kiss at the corner of his lips, one hand circling around the back of Jongho’s neck before he's pulling away. Jongho’s too dazed to stop him, no matter how much he wants to.

“Figured anything out yet?” Yeosang asks shyly, and Jongho shakes himself, but his brain is foggy, his thoughts too slow for the rapid thundering of his heartbeat, and he answers in the only way he can, when the words don’t come- his lips find the corner of Yeosang’s jaw, the edge of his cheekbone, exploring every inch, sensing the reactions each gets him, surrendering himself to the sensation, and he discards the idea of ever being able to form a coherent thought again.

“About damn time,” a smug voice says behind him, and he jolts, but Yeosang just waves a hand through the air, slamming the door in San’s face, and pulls him closer.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood i can't believe it took me months to write this last chapter. im so sorry. this one really didn't want to be finished 😂 😂   
> thank you for bearing with me, and all of the lovely comments you guys have left on this fic <3  
> (and happy holidays! xx)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the prequel to my Oneus series On For Aces, but you can read either of them independently :)
> 
> this takes place around a year and a half before On For Aces, and like in my other series i decided to make everyone in Ateez roughly the same age (the order is still the same, with seonghwa the oldest and jongho the youngest) so they could all go through University at the same time, so they're all starting from day one.
> 
> thanks for reading!! And, as always, comments are greatly appreciated xx


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